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Diazepam fails to alter anxiety-like responses but affects motor function in a white-black test paradigm in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Zahid, Hifsa and Tsang, Benjamin and Ahmed, Hira and Lee, Richard Chi Yeung and Tran, Steven and Gerlai, Robert (2018) Diazepam fails to alter anxiety-like responses but affects motor function in a white-black test paradigm in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 83 . pp. 127-136. ISSN 0278-5846. doi:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.012. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180301-101002241

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Abstract

The growing popularity of zebrafish in psychopharmacology and behavioral brain research is partly due to the practicality and simplicity of drug administration in this species. Several drugs may be administered to zebrafish by immersing the fish in the drug solution. Furthermore, numerous drugs developed for mammals, including humans, have been found to show a similar effect profile in the zebrafish. Thus, the zebrafish has been suggested as a potentially useful animal screening tool. Despite decades of drug development, anxiety still represents a major unmet medical need, and the search for anxiolytic compounds is continuing. The zebrafish has been proposed for high throughput screens for anxiolytic compounds, and the effects of anxiolytic compounds on the behavior of zebrafish have started to be explored. Diazepam (Valium®) is a frequently prescribed human anxiolytic, a GABA_A receptor agonist, has also started to be tested in zebrafish, but with occasional contradicting results. Here, we investigate the effects of diazepam in larval (6-day post-fertilization old) zebrafish in a black-white preference paradigm. We found significant white preference and thigmotaxis (edge preference) in our control fish, anxiety-like responses that habituated over time. However, unexpectedly, we observed no anxiolytic effects of diazepam on these behaviors, and only detected significant motor activity reducing effect of the drug. We discuss the complex interpretation of light/dark tests in zebrafish, and also speculate about the possibility of differential GABAergic mechanisms that diazepam affects in larval vs adult zebrafish.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.012DOIArticle
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278584617309533PublisherArticle
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Tran, Steven0000-0001-8515-8250
Additional Information:© 2018 Elsevier Inc. Received 24 November 2017, Revised 9 January 2018, Accepted 17 January 2018, Available online 31 January 2018.
Subject Keywords:Anxiety; Diazepam; GABAA-receptor; White-black test; Light-dark task; Sedative effects; Zebrafish
DOI:10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.012
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20180301-101002241
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20180301-101002241
Official Citation:Hifsa Zahid, Benjamin Tsang, Hira Ahmed, Richard Chi Yeung Lee, Steven Tran, Robert Gerlai, Diazepam fails to alter anxiety-like responses but affects motor function in a white-black test paradigm in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio), Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, Volume 83, 2018, Pages 127-136, ISSN 0278-5846, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.01.012. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278584617309533)
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:85034
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Tony Diaz
Deposited On:01 Mar 2018 20:30
Last Modified:15 Nov 2021 20:25

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