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Assessment of Thigmotaxis in Larval Zebrafish

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Zebrafish Protocols for Neurobehavioral Research

Part of the book series: Neuromethods ((NM,volume 66))

Abstract

One of the most commonly used behavioral endpoints measured in preclinical studies employing rodent models is thigmotaxis (or “wall-hugging”). Thigmotaxis is the propensity to avoid the center of an arena and stay or move in close proximity to the boundaries of the environment. Thigmotaxis is a validated index of anxiety. While assays measuring thigmotaxis in adult zebrafish have been developed, such assays have not yet been validated in larval zebrafish. Here we present a simple protocol for the measurement of thigmotaxis in zebrafish larvae that is triggered by a sudden change in illumination and performed in a standard 24-well plate. We show that larval zebrafish as young as 5 dpf respond to this challenge by engaging in thigmotaxis. This behavior is sensitive to commonly used anxiolytic (diazepam) and anxiogenic (caffeine) drugs, thus representing the first validated thigmotaxis assay for larval zebrafish. In sum, this protocol is cost-effective, rapid (only 10 min), and amenable to medium- to high-throughput capacity while constituting a valuable tool for stress and central nervous system research as well as for preclinical drug screening and discovery.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the SmartMix Program of The Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs and The Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Integrative Zoology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Stephanie J. Schnörr, Peter J. Steenbergen, Michael K. Richardson & Danielle L. Champagne

  2. Department of Organismal Animal Physiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Nijmegen University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Danielle L. Champagne

Authors
  1. Stephanie J. Schnörr
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  2. Peter J. Steenbergen
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  3. Michael K. Richardson
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  4. Danielle L. Champagne
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Danielle L. Champagne .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroscience Program, Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, Tulane Ave. 1430, New Orleans, 70112, Louisiana, USA

    Allan V. Kalueff

  2. , Department of Pharmacology, Tulane University, Tulane Avenue 1430, New Orleans, 70112, Louisiana, USA

    Adam Michael Stewart

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Schnörr, S.J., Steenbergen, P.J., Richardson, M.K., Champagne, D.L. (2012). Assessment of Thigmotaxis in Larval Zebrafish. 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_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-597-8_3

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-596-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-597-8

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