Startle, pre-pulse sensitization, and habituation in zebrafish

Abstract

Background: The startle response, pre-pulse presentation of startle, and habituation in adult zebrafish (danio rerio) have not been formerly characterized using the same motion detection equipment within an integrated procedure.

New method: The methods presented in this manuscript describe the use of a video tracking software used previously in the detection of conditioned immobility in rodents, but adapted for the purposes of tracking zebrafish movement.

Results: The results from a series of investigations demonstrate an effective tracking and quantification of the startle response, as well as evidence that stimulus-experience history alters the startle response in adult zebrafish.

Comparison with existing methods: This method of tracking zebrafish allows for the quantification on movement of a single subject, and the delivery of the startle stimulus can be synchronized with the motion-detection software to obtain a high temporal resolution that is not provided by other means of motion-detection tracking.

Conclusion: Objective techniques for evaluating these basic modifications of the startle response (pre-pulse and habituation) may be helpful in future behavioral analysis as this species is rapidly becoming among the most commonly utilized in preclinical pharmacological assessment.

Keywords: Habituation; Prepulse; Startle; Video tracking; Zebrafish.