Effects of serta and sertb knockout on aggression in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Tea, Michael; Pan, Yihang Kevin; Lister, Joshua G. R.; Perry, Steve F.; Gilmour, Kathleen M.

doi:10.1007/s00359-024-01693-7

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…The serotonergic system of zebrafish is characterized by several populations of neurons, some of which resemble those seen in mammals, such as the raphe nuclei, and others that appear to be unique to fish, such as clusters in the hypothalamus and pretectum (reviewed in Lillesaar, 2011 ). Despite these differences in neuroanatomy, the behavioral functions of the serotonergic system are remarkably conserved, with serotonin being implicated in aggression, fear and anxiety in both zebrafish and mammals ( Herculano and Maximino, 2014 ; Lillesaar, 2011 ; Lucki, 1998 ; Muller and Cunningham, 2020 ; Tea et al, 2024 ; Winberg and Thörnqvist, 2016 ). This may be due to the fact that, as in mammals, many long-range serotonergic projections in zebrafish originate from the raphe nuclei ( Lillesaar et al, 2009 ) and some of these projections in mammals, which are missing in zebrafish, contain local populations of serotonergic neurons that may subserve a similar function ( Lillesaar, 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in the boldness of female zebrafish are associated with alterations in serotonin function

Beigloo,

Davidson,

Gjonaj

et al. 2024

Journal of Experimental Biology

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One of the most prevalent axes of behavioral variation in both humans and animals is risk taking, where individuals that are more willing to take risk are characterized as bold while those that are more reserved as shy. Brain monoamines (i.e., serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine) have been found to play a role in a variety of behaviors related to risk taking. Using zebrafish, we investigated if there was a relationship between monoamine function and boldness behavior during exploration of a novel tank. We found a correlation between serotonin metabolism (5-HIAA:5-HT ratio) and boldness during the initial exposure to the tank in female animals. The DOPAC:DA ratio correlated with boldness behavior on the third day in male fish. There was no relationship between boldness and norepinephrine. To probe differences in serotonergic function in bold and shy fish, we administered a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, escitalopram, and assessed exploratory behavior. We found that escitalopram had opposing effects on thigmotaxis in bold and shy female animals: the drug caused bold fish to spend more time near the center of the tank and shy fish spent more time near the periphery. Taken together, our findings indicate that variation in serotonergic function has sex-specific contributions to individual differences in risk taking behavior.

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