A zebrafish model for studying the mechanisms of newborn hyperbilirubinemia and bilirubin-induced neurological damage.

Unresolved neonatal hyperbilirubinemia may lead to the accumulation of excess bilirubin in the body, and bilirubin in neural tissues may induce toxicity. Bilirubin-induced neurological damage (BIND) can result in acute or chronic bilirubin encephalopathy, causing temporary or lasting neurological dysfunction or severe damage resulting in infant death. Although serum bilirubin levels are used as an indication of severity, known and unknown individual differences affect the severity of the symptoms.