Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Larval Zebrafish

Adaptive Locomotor Behavior in Larval Zebrafish

In this study we report that larval zebrafish display adaptive locomotor output that can be driven by unexpected visual feedback. We develop a new assay that addresses visuomotor integration in restrained larval zebrafish. The assay involves a closed-loop environment in which the visual feedback a larva receives depends on its own motor output in a way that resembles freely swimming conditions....

Modulation of locomotor activity in larval zebrafish during light adaptation.

The neural basis of behavioral choice in vertebrates remains largely unknown. Zebrafish larvae have a defined locomotor repertoire as well as a simple nervous system and are therefore an attractive vertebrate system in which to study this process. Here we describe a high-throughput system for quantifying the kinematics of motor events in zebrafish larvae in order to measure the initiation frequ...

The Habenula Prevents Helpless Behavior in Larval Zebrafish

Animals quickly learn to avoid predictable danger. However, if pre-exposed to a strong stressor, they do not display avoidance even if this causes continued contact with painful stimuli [1, 2]. In rodents, lesioning the habenula, an epithalamic structure that regulates the monoaminergic system, has been reported to reduce avoidance deficits caused by inescapable shock [3]. This is consistent wi...

Illuminating the Neural Circuitry Underlying Larval Zebrafish Behavior

[Visual system and prey capture behavior of larval zebrafish].

Studying neural circuits is a crucial step for understanding neural mechanisms underlying animal behaviors. Larval zebrafish is a low vertebrate animal model with incomparable advantages in neural circuit study. In this review, we describe the zebrafish visual system and its downstream targets, with special emphasis on their possible roles in prey capture behavior. Prey capture is executed main...