Acute ethanol exposure induces behavioural differences in two zebrafish (Danio rerio) strains: a time course analysis.
The zebrafish has been proposed as a model organism to study genetic effects influencing behaviour and also as a tool with which the mechanisms of the action of alcohol (ethanol or EtOH) in the vertebrate brain may be investigated. In the current study we exposed zebrafish from two genetically distinct strains (WIK and TU) to a computer animated image of a natural predator of this species, the Indian leaf fish. We measured the subjects' behavioural responses in the presence of different acute doses of alcohol (0.00, 0.25, 0.50, and 1.00% vol/vol) using an observation based event-recording method. We found fish of both strains to exhibit an atypical predator inspection response during the presentation of the animated predator image coupled with a classical fear response, increased jumping frequency. We found numerous alcohol induced behavioural changes and more importantly also revealed alcohol induced strain dependent changes as well, including different dose-response trajectories for WIK vs. TU in predator inspection response, general swimming activity, location of swimming (top vs. bottom half of the tank) and freezing. The results suggest that zebrafish of the TU strain may be more tolerant at least to lower doses of alcohol as compared to WIK. The characterization of strain differences in zebrafish will aid the identification of possible molecular mechanisms involved in alcohol's actions in the vertebrate brain.
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada; Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada.
Emanuela
E
Pannia
Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Canada.
Steven
S
Tran
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada.
Mindy
M
Rampersad
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Canada; Department of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Canada. Electronic address: robert_gerlai@yahoo.com.
Robert
R
Gerlai
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005239:Fear / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000187:drug effects; D013045:Species Specificity; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000145:classification
D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol
Anxiety; Ethanol; Ethyl alcohol; Fear; Strain comparison; Zebrafish