title: Aquatic blues: modeling depression and antidepressant action in zebrafish.
abstract: Depression is a serious psychiatric condition affecting millions of patients worldwide. Unipolar depression is characterized by low mood, anhedonia, social withdrawal and other severely debilitating psychiatric symptoms. Bipolar disorder manifests in alternating depressed mood and 'hyperactive' manic/hypomanic states. Animal experimental models are an invaluable tool for research into the pathogenesis of bipolar/unipolar depression, and for the development of potential treatments. Due to their high throughput value, genetic tractability, low cost and quick reproductive cycle, zebrafish (Danio rerio) have emerged as a promising new model species for studying brain disorders. Here, we discuss the developing utility of zebrafish for studying depression disorders, and outline future areas of research in this field. We argue that zebrafish represent a useful model organism for studying depression and its behavioral, genetic and physiological mechanisms, as well as for anti-depressant drug discovery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 415 Lane Road, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; ZENEREI Institute, 309 Palmer Court, Slidell, LA 70458, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: ZENEREI Institute, 309 Palmer Court, Slidell, LA 70458, USA; International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), 309 Palmer Court, Slidell, LA 70458, USA; Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. Electronic address: ams459@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Adam Michael
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: ZENEREI Institute, 309 Palmer Court, Slidell, LA 70458, USA; International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), 309 Palmer Court, Slidell, LA 70458, USA.
authors.forename: Allan V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Kalueff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Bipolar depression; Mood disorder; Psychiatric disorder; Unipolar depression; Zebrafish