Behavioral and neurochemical changes in the zebrafish leopard strain

Abstract The zebrafish leopard phenotype (leo) displays abnormal pigmentation and increased anxiety-like behavior. The neurochemical changes associated with this anxious phenotype are not known. Here, we demonstrate that leo show increased anxiety-like behavior in the light/dark box and in the novel tank test. This anxious phenotype is rescued by acute treatment with a dose of a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluoxetine, that is inactive in wild-type animals. Moreover, leoshow decreased tissue levels of serotonin, increased serotonin turnover, and slightly increased monoamine oxidase activity. These results suggest that the anxious phenotype observed in leo zebrafish is caused by a decrease in serotonin uptake.摘要 斑马鱼豹纹表型（zebrafish leopard phenotype，简称leo）表现出色素沉着异常与焦虑样行为增强的特征。目前尚不明确与该焦虑表型相关的神经化学变化。本研究证实，leo斑马鱼在明暗箱实验（light/dark box test）与新型水槽实验（novel tank test）中均表现出增强的焦虑样行为。该焦虑表型可通过急性给予特定剂量的5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂氟西汀（fluoxetine）得到挽救，且该剂量的氟西汀对野生型动物无活性。此外，leo斑马鱼的组织5-羟色胺（serotonin）水平降低、5-羟色胺更新率升高，且单胺氧化酶（monoamine oxidase）活性轻度升高。上述结果表明，leo斑马鱼中观察到的焦虑表型是由5-羟色胺摄取减少所导致的。