title: Sleep deprivation effects on object discrimination task in zebrafish (Danio rerio).
abstract: The zebrafish is an ideal vertebrate model for neurobehavioral studies with translational relevance to humans. Many aspects of sleep have been studied, but we still do not understand how and why sleep deprivation alters behavioral and physiological processes. A number of hypotheses suggest its role in memory consolidation. In this respect, the aim of this study was to analyze the effects of sleep deprivation on memory in zebrafish (Danio rerio), using an object discrimination paradigm. Four treatments were tested: control, partial sleep deprivation, total sleep deprivation by light pulses, and total sleep deprivation by extended light. The control group explored the new object more than the known object, indicating clear discrimination. The partially sleep-deprived group explored the new object more than the other object in the discrimination phase, suggesting a certain degree of discriminative performance. By contrast, both total sleep deprivation groups equally explored all objects, regardless of their novelty. It seems that only one night of sleep deprivation is enough to affect discriminative response in zebrafish, indicating its negative impact on cognitive processes. We suggest that this study could be a useful screening tool for cognitive dysfunction and a better understanding of the effect of sleep-wake cycles on cognition.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, PO BOX 1511, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jaquelinne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinheiro-da-Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, PO BOX 1511, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Priscila Fernandes
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, CCET, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo Borges
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, PO BOX 1511, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970, Brazil. analuchiari@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Ana Carolina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Luchiari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003071:Cognition; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D008568:Memory; D012892:Sleep Deprivation; D015027:Zebrafish
keywords: Bayesian analysis; Discrimination; Fish; Memory; Sleep