Time to recognize zebrafish ‘affective’ behavior

Abstract

Widely used in biomedical research, zebrafish (Danio rerio) are steadily gaining popularity as a model organism for studying neurobehavioral phenomena. Here, we focus on to the growing spectrum of zebrafish behavioral phenotypes and the ‘bigger’ biological problems these models help to address. Emphasizing the developing potential of zebrafish as a model organism in biological psychiatry, we discuss several questions related to this field: Do zebrafish have ‘emotional’-like behaviors? What are their neural circuits, biomarkers, and ontogenetic origins? And, finally, how can we use this knowledge to build translational bridges to understand human emotions, motivation and personality? Representing a joint effort of several established neurobehavioral laboratories, this article outlines the mounting evidence to support emotionality in zebrafish and other fishes. This conclusion is important to justify the validity of zebrafish ‘affective’ paradigms and their utility for basic/translational research of normal and pathological behaviors.