Spontaneous alternation behavior in larval zebrafish

Abstract

Spontaneous alternation behavior (SAB) describes the tendency of animals to alternate their turn direction in consecutive turns. SAB, unlike other mnestic tasks, does not require any prior training or reinforcement. Because of its close correlation with the development and function of the hippocampus in mice, it is thought to reflect a type of memory. Adult zebrafish possess a hippocampus-like structure utilizing the same neurotransmitters as in human brains, and have thus been used to study memory. In the current study, we established SAB in zebrafish larvae at 6 days post-fertilization using a custommade forced-turn maze with a rate of 57%. Our demonstration of the presence of SAB in larval zebrafish at a very early developmental stage not only provides evidence for early cognition in this species but also suggests its future usefulness as a high-throughput model for mnestic studies.

The puzzle of spontaneous alternation and inhibition of return: How they might fit together

“…This is likely related to how spontaneous alternation has evolved into a standard test for memory in transgenic rodent models of human conditions (e.g., O'Leary, Hussin, Gunn, & Brown, ; Snider & Obrietan, ) or evaluating effects of pharmacological agents (Hughes, ). However, spontaneous alternation has been observed in several other nonhuman organisms, including larval zebrafish (Bögli & Huang, ) and black molly fish (Creson, Woodruff, Ferslew, Rasch, & Monaco, ), ants (Czaczkes, Koch, Fröber, & Dreisbach, ), fruit flies ( Drosophila melanogaster ; Lewis, Negelspach, Kaladchibachi, Cowen, & Fernandez, ), paramecium (Harvey & Bovell, ), marmosets (Izumi, Tsuchida, & Yamaguchi, ), and in some species of crab (but not others—Balcı, Ramey‐Balcı, & Ruamps, ; Ramey, Teichman, Oleksiak, & Balci, ). In other species, evidence for spontaneous alternation behavior is debatable (lemurs, Dal‐Pan et al, ; chicks, Hayes & Warren, ; hens, Haskell, Forkman & Waddington, ) or contrary (e.g., pigeons, Hughes, ).…”

Impact of noise exposure on development, physiological stress and behavioural patterns in larval zebrafish

“…Finally, this study also showed that noise-exposed 5 dpf larvae (under CN 150 ) displayed impaired innate Spontaneous Alternation Behaviour compared to control individuals. Bögli et al, (2017) 87 effectively established the presence of SAB in larval zebra sh (6 dpf) suggesting the presence of early mnestic capabilities. At this developmental stage (4 to 5 dpf), the hippocampal-like pallium develops 88 , and this brain structure is known to be related with navigation and spatiotemporal sensing in shes 89,90 .…”

“…Larval zebra sh were further tested regarding the Spontaneous Alternation Behaviour (SAB), which consists on the tendency of animals to alternate their movement directions in consecutive turns when navigating through their environment. The SAB was assessed in a 3D printed T-maze designed based on Bögli and Huang (2017) 107 and consisted in two starting arms converging into a main arm that bifurcated in the end into two goal arms, each leading to a pool (Fig. 5A).…”

Erratum

“…This is likely related to how spontaneous alternation has evolved into a standard test for memory in transgenic rodent models of human conditions (e.g., O'Leary, Hussin, Gunn, & Brown, 2018;Snider & Obrietan, 2018) or evaluating effects of pharmacological agents (Hughes, 2004). However, spontaneous alternation has been observed in several other nonhuman organisms, including larval zebrafish (Bögli & Huang, 2017) and black molly fish (Creson, Woodruff, Ferslew, Rasch, & Monaco, 2003), ants (Czaczkes, Koch, Fröber, & Dreisbach, 2018), fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster; Lewis, Negelspach, Kaladchibachi, Cowen, & Fernandez, 2017), paramecium (Harvey & Bovell, 2006), marmosets (Izumi, Tsuchida, & Yamaguchi, 2013), and in some species of crab (but not others-Balcı, Ramey-Balcı, & Ruamps, 2014;Ramey, Teichman, Oleksiak, & Balci, 2009). In other species, evidence for spontaneous alternation behavior is debatable (lemurs, Dal-Pan et al, 2011;chicks, Hayes & Warren, 1963;hens, Haskell, Forkman & Waddington, 1998) or contrary (e.g., pigeons, Hughes, 1989).…”