title: Behavioral and neurochemical changes in the zebrafish leopard strain.
abstract: The zebrafish leopard phenotype (leo) displays abnormal pigmentation and shows increased anxiety-like behavior. The neurochemical changes associated with this anxious phenotype are not known. Here, we demonstrate that leo show increased anxiety-like behavior in the light/dark box and in the novel tank test. This anxious phenotype is rescued by acute treatment with a dose of a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, that is inactive in wild-type animals. Moreover, leo show decreased tissue levels of serotonin, increased serotonin turnover and slightly increased monoamine oxidase activity. These results suggest that the anxious phenotype observed in leo zebrafish is caused by a decrease in serotonin uptake. This work could open an important avenue in defining the neurochemical underpinning of natural variation in anxiety disorders.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiolígicas, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Universidade Estadual do Pará, Av. Hiléia Agrópolis do INCRA s/n, 68503-120 Marabá, Brazil.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maximino
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Puty
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Matos Oliveira
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Herculano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D012880:Skin Pigmentation / Q000235:genetics*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005473:Fluoxetine; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors