The effects of two stressors on working memory and cognitive flexibility in zebrafish (Danio rerio): The protective role of D1/D5 agonist on stress responses

NEUROPHARMACOLOGY

卷:196

Article

Fontana, Barbara D.¹  Cleal, Madeleine¹  Gibbon, Alistair J.¹  McBride, Sebastian D.²  Parker, Matthew O.¹ 

[1] Univ Portsmouth, Brain & Behav Lab, Sch Pharm & Biomed Sci, Portsmouth, Hants, England

[2] Aberystwyth Univ, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales

关键词: Alarm pheromone;    Dopaminergic system;    FMP Y-Maze;    Stereotypical behavior;    Stress-reactivity;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neuropharm.2021.108681

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Acute stressors are recurrent in multiple species' lives and can facilitate or impair cognition. The use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a translational species to understand the mechanisms by which stress induces different behavioral phenotypes has been widely studied. Two acute stressors are recognized when using this species: (1) conspecific alarm substance (CAS); and (2) net chasing. Here, we tested if CAS or net chasing would affect working memory and cognitive flexibility by testing performance in the FMP Y-maze after exposure to stress. We observed that CAS altered zebrafish behavioral phenotypes by increasing repetitive behavior; meanwhile, animals showed different patterns of repetitive behavior when exposed to net chasing, depending on the chasing direction. Because D1 receptors were previously studied as a potential mechanism underlying stress responses in different species, here, we pretreated fish with a D1/D5 agonist (SKF-38393) to assess whether this system plays a role in repetitive behavior in the FMP Y-maze. The pretreatment with D1/D5 agonist significantly decreased repetitive behavior in CAS exposed animals, and cortisol levels for both stressed groups, suggesting that the dopaminergic system plays an important role in zebrafish stress-related responses.

【 授权许可】

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