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Rearing Conditions Differentially Affect the Locomotor Behavior of Larval Zebrafish, but not their Response to Valproate-Induced Developmental Neurotoxicity
Citation:
Zellner, D., B. Padnos, D. L. Hunter, R. C. MACPHAIL, AND S. J. PADILLA. Rearing Conditions Differentially Affect the Locomotor Behavior of Larval Zebrafish, but not their Response to Valproate-Induced Developmental Neurotoxicity. Presented at Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, March 06 - 10, 2011.
Impact/Purpose:
These results indicate that rearing conditions affect behavioral development of zebrafish larvae, but that rearing conditions may not affect the effect of a developmental neurotoxicant.
Description:
Zebrafish (Dania rerio) are widely used in developmental research, but little is known about the role environment may play in their development. Zebrafish are a highly social organism; thus exposure to or isolation from social environments may have profound effects. Details of rearing conditions are often sparse in the literature. This study compared (1) the activity of larval zebrafish that were raised individually or in groups, and (2) the effect of the developmental neurotoxicant valproate. We randomly assigned embryos to isolative or inclusive social environments from 0 to 5 days post fertilization (dpf), while treating them with or without valproate (50 uM) from 0-2 dpf resulting in a total of four groups (group control, group treated, single control, single treated). At 5 dpf all embryos were transferred to singly-housed environments where they remained through locomotor testing (alternating periods of light and dark) conducted on day 6. Larvae that had been raised in groups had higher levels of activity than larvae that had been raised individually, but only in the dark periods. Valproate increased activity in the dark in both the singly and group housed groups. Further analyses indicated rearing condition did not significantly affect larval responses to valproate. These results indicate that rearing conditions affect behavioral development of zebrafish larvae, but that rearing conditions may not affect the effect of a developmental neurotoxicant. This is an abstract of a proposed presentation: the information does not necessarily reflect EPA policy.