Zebrafish Schizophrenia Models

Schizophrenia is a severely debilitating, lifelong mental illness that affects about 1% of the world's population and presents with a wide range of symptoms, from hallucinations to memory impairment. Genetic or environmental factors may contribute to the development of this disease. However, the pathobiology of schizophrenia remains poorly understood and further translational research in this area is required. Laboratory animal models have become indispensable for studying schizophrenia-related phenotypes and antipsychotic drugs.

Growing evidence suggests that the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a useful tool for modeling various phenotypes associated with schizophrenia. The zebrafish genome has been fully sequenced, showing approximately 70% gene homology with humans, and there are a large number of molecular genetic tools available for easy manipulation of the zebrafish genome. In addition to its complex and robust behavior, zebrafish share a high degree of genetic and physiological homology with humans and are sensitive to drugs clinically known to reduce or promote schizophrenia. Recently, zebrafish has become a valuable and attractive model for various neurological diseases including schizophrenia.

Fig. 1 Pharmacological models of schizophrenia in zebrafish.

Our Zebrafish Schizophrenia Models

Creative Biogene has established well-established zebrafish pharmacological models of schizophrenia that mimic certain aspects of the human condition and have similarities to rodent models. Specifically, genetic models are suitable for determining the sequence of molecular events that ultimately lead to the onset of schizophrenia. Given the general criticism surrounding transient knockouts (such as targeting effects associated with p53-mediated apoptosis), stringent multiplex controls are absolutely required to determine the specificity of the observed knockout phenotype. Our zebrafish model is suitable for high-throughput screening of new compounds that may target the dopaminergic and/or glutamatergic systems, allowing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and enhancing research on new and effective antipsychotic drugs. If you would like to learn more about the zebrafish models of schizophrenia, please feel free to contact us.

Advantages

• Real-time neuroimaging in zebrafish
• Numerous molecular genetic tools available for easy manipulation of the zebrafish genome
• Non-invasive in vivo calcium imaging using a transgenic reporter line
• Study aspects of polygenicity faster (e.g. by cross-mutating lines)

References

1. Demin KA, et al. Developing zebrafish experimental animal models relevant to schizophrenia. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019, 105:126-133.
2. Gawel K, et al. A critical review of zebrafish schizophrenia models: Time for validation?. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2019, 107:6-22.
3. Zabegalov KN, et al. Abnormal repetitive behaviors in zebrafish and their relevance to human brain disorders. Behav Brain Res. 2019, 367:101-110.
4. Langova V, et al. The Role of Zebrafish and Laboratory Rodents in Schizophrenia Research. Front Psychiatry. 2020, 11:703.

For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use.