Abstract
Although adult zebrafish are increasingly utilized as a model organism in neurobehavioral research, their habituation responses have only recently been evaluated in detail. When exposed to a novel environment, zebrafish demonstrate marked habituation responses, similar to the behavioral response of rodents. Representing an adaptive response to novelty and a simple form of spatial memory, both intra- and inter-session habituation can be easily assessed in adult zebrafish using novelty-based paradigms, such as the novel tank test. Alterations in zebrafish habituation can also be evoked by pharmacological manipulations, collectively representing a useful tool for drug screening and behavioral phenotyping. Here, we outline a simple protocol for evaluating zebrafish intra- and inter-session habituation to novelty in the novel tank test.
Jolia Raymond and Simon Chanin contributed equally to this paper.
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Acknowledgements
The study was supported by Tulane University Intramural funds, Tulane Neurophenotyping Platform, Tulane University Pilot, and the Newcomb Fellows grants.
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Raymond, J. et al. (2012). Assessing Habituation Phenotypes in Adult Zebrafish: Intra- and Inter-Trial Habituation in the Novel Tank Test. In: Kalueff, A., Stewart, A. (eds) Zebrafish Protocols for Neurobehavioral Research. Neuromethods, vol 66. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-597-8_21
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-597-8_21
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