MK-801 increases locomotor activity in a context-dependent manner in zebrafish.

Zebrafish have become a popular animal model for behavioral neuroscience with an increasing number of studies examining the effects of pharmacological compounds targeting the brain. Exposure to MK-801, a non-competitive N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist has been shown to increase locomotor activity in zebrafish. However, others have failed to replicate this finding as several contradicting studies report no changes in locomotor activity following exposure to similar doses.

Neurochemical factors underlying individual differences in locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavioral responses in zebrafish.

Variation among individuals may arise for several reasons, and may have diverse underlying mechanisms. Individual differences have been studied in a variety of species, but recently a new model organism has emerged in this field that offers both sophistication in phenotypical characterization and powerful mechanistic analysis. Recently, zebrafish, one of the favorites of geneticists, have been shown to exhibit consistent individual differences in baseline locomotor activity.

Differential effects of acute administration of SCH-23390, a D₁ receptor antagonist, and of ethanol on swimming activity, anxiety-related responses, and neurochemistry of zebrafish.

Rationale: The zebrafish has become an increasingly popular animal model for investigating ethanol's actions in the brain and its effects on behavior. Acute exposure to ethanol in zebrafish has been shown to induce a dose-dependent increase of locomotor activity, to reduce fear- and anxiety-related behavioral responses, and to increase the levels of dopamine and its metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC).

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of dopamine D1 receptors (D1-R) in ethanol-induced locomotor activity in zebrafish.

Serotonin antagonists induce anxiolytic and anxiogenic-like behavior in zebrafish in a receptor-subtype dependent manner.

Motor function and anxiety-like responses are easily quantifiable in zebrafish, a novel model organism for behavioral pharmacology. Activation of serotonin receptors through the use of selective agonists has been shown to alter anxiety-like behaviors in zebrafish. However, few studies have examined the effect of blockade of specific serotonin receptors.

Differential effects of dopamine D1 and D 2/3 receptor antagonism on motor responses.

Rationale: The zebrafish dopaminergic system is thought to be evolutionarily conserved and may be amenable to pharmacological manipulation using drugs developed for mammalian receptors. However, only few studies have examined the role of specific receptor subtypes in behaviour of adult zebrafish.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to determine the translational relevance of the zebrafish and examine the psychopharmacology of specific dopamine receptors in this species.