Whole organism-based small-molecule screens have proven powerful in identifying novel therapeutic chemicals, yet this approach has not been exploited to identify new cognitive enhancers. Here we present an automated high-throughput system for measuring nonassociative learning behaviors in larval zebrafish. Using this system, we report that spaced training blocks of repetitive visual stimuli elicit protein synthesis-dependent long-term habituation in larval zebrafish, lasting up to 24 h. Moreover, repetitive acoustic stimulation induces robust short-term habituation that can be modulated by stimulation frequency and instantaneously dishabituated through cross-modal stimulation. To characterize the neurochemical pathways underlying short-term habituation, we screened 1,760 bioactive compounds with known targets. Although we found extensive functional conservation of short-term learning between larval zebrafish and mammalian models, we also discovered several compounds with previously unknown roles in learning. These compounds included a myristic acid analog known to interact with Src family kinases and an inhibitor of cyclin dependent kinase 2, demonstrating that high-throughput chemical screens combined with high-resolution behavioral assays provide a powerful approach for the discovery of novel cognitive modulators.acoustic startle response | sensorimotor gating A ll organisms, from protozoa to humans, use nonassociative habituation learning as a means to update behavioral responses to sensory input based on recent stimulation history (1). Considered a simple form of learning, habituation reflects a suppressed behavioral response to repeated inconsequential stimulation and serves as a mechanism by which the nervous system filters irrelevant stimuli. Defective habituation not only is indicative of a learning deficit, but also is prevalent in neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and drug addiction (2-5). Numerous assays have shown that the parameters and rules for habituation learning are similar across phyla (6-9), suggesting conservation of the underlying molecular mechanisms. For example, training session design and stimulation frequency is predictive of the time scale of memory retention. Massed exposure to repeated stimulation at short interstimulus intervals (ISIs) elicits an acquisition of learned information with short-term recall memory, indicated by a change in behavior that does not persist for long after the repeated stimulation is terminated. In contrast, a distributed training protocol with multiple training sessions consisting of stimulation at longer ISIs and rest periods between training blocks induces the acquisition and storage of learned behavior that is capable of being recalled for a more extended period. Thus, intrasession, short-term habituation represents working memory, whereas intersession, long-term habituation includes the storage and retrieval of memory.Existing strategies to measure vertebrate lea...

Summary Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of devastating neurodevelopmental syndromes that affect up to 1 in 68 children. Despite advances in the identification of ASD risk genes, the mechanisms underlying ASD remain unknown. Homozygous loss-of-function mutations in Contactin Associated Protein-like 2 (CNTNAP2) are strongly linked to ASD. Here we investigate the function of Cntnap2 and undertake pharmacological screens to identify phenotypic suppressors. We find that zebrafish cntnap2 mutants display GABAergic deficits particularly in the forebrain and sensitivity to drug-induced seizures. High-throughput behavioral profiling identifies nighttime hyperactivity in cntnap2 mutants, while pharmacological testing reveals dysregulation of GABAergic and glutamatergic systems. Finally, we find that estrogen receptor agonists elicit a behavioral fingerprint anti-correlative to that of cntnap2 mutants and show that the phytoestrogen biochanin A specifically reverses the mutant behavioral phenotype. These results identify estrogenic compounds as phenotypic suppressors and illuminate novel pharmacological pathways with relevance to autism.

Summary Habituation represents a fundamental form of learning, yet the underlying molecular genetic mechanisms are not well defined. Here we report on a genome-wide genetic screen, coupled with whole genome sequencing, that identified 14 zebrafish startle habituation mutants including mutants of the vertebrate specific gene pregnancy associated plasma protein-aa (pappaa). PAPP-AA encodes an extracellular metalloprotease known to increase IGF bioavailability thereby enhancing IGF receptor signaling. We find that pappaa is expressed by startle circuit neurons, and expression of wildtype, but not a metalloprotease-inactive version of pappaa restores habituation in pappaa mutants. Furthermore, acutely inhibiting IGF1R function in wild-type reduces habituation, while activation of IGF1R downstream effectors in pappaa mutants restores habituation, demonstrating that pappaa promotes learning by acutely and locally increasing IGF bioavailability. In sum, our results define the first functional gene set for habituation learning in a vertebrate, and identify PAPPAA-regulated IGF signaling as a novel mechanism regulating habituation learning.

Animals continuously integrate sensory information and select contextually appropriate responses. Here, we show that zebrafish larvae select a behavioral response to acoustic stimuli from a pre-existing choice repertoire in a context-dependent manner. We demonstrate that this sensorimotor choice is modulated by stimulus quality and history, as well as by neuromodulatory systems-all hallmarks of more complex decision making. Moreover, from a genetic screen coupled with whole-genome sequencing, we identified eight mutants with deficits in this sensorimotor choice, including mutants of the vertebrate-specific G-protein-coupled extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR), whose function in the nervous system is not well understood. We demonstrate that CaSR promotes sensorimotor decision making acutely through Gα and Gα signaling, modulated by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Combined, our results identify the first set of genes critical for behavioral choice modulation in a vertebrate and reveal an unexpected critical role for CaSR in sensorimotor decision making.