PUBLICATION

Pentylenetetrazole induced changes in zebrafish behavior, neural activity and c-fos expression

Authors
Baraban, S.C., Taylor, M.R., Castro, P.A., and Baier, H.
ID
ZDB-PUB-050301-1
Date
2005
Source
Neuroscience   131(3): 759-768 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Baier, Herwig
Keywords
Danio rerio; epilepsy; extracellular; c-Fos; interictal; ictal
MeSH Terms
  • Time Factors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos/metabolism*
  • RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis
  • Animals
  • Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists/pharmacology
  • Larva
  • Diazepam/pharmacology
  • Seizures/chemically induced
  • Seizures/drug therapy
  • Seizures/physiopathology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Neurons/drug effects*
  • Neurons/physiology
  • Pentylenetetrazole/pharmacology*
  • Behavior, Animal/drug effects
  • Drug Interactions
  • Membrane Potentials/drug effects
  • Superior Colliculi/cytology
  • Superior Colliculi/drug effects
  • GABA Antagonists/pharmacology*
  • Motor Activity/drug effects*
  • Anticonvulsants/pharmacology
  • Gene Expression/drug effects*
  • Reaction Time/drug effects
  • Zebrafish/physiology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods
  • In Situ Hybridization/methods
PubMed
15730879 Full text @ Neuroscience
Abstract
Rodent seizure models have significantly contributed to our basic understanding of epilepsy. However, medically intractable forms of epilepsy persist and the fundamental mechanisms underlying this disease remain unclear. Here we show that seizures can be elicited in a simple vertebrate system e.g. zebrafish larvae (Danio rerio). Exposure to a common convulsant agent (pentylenetetrazole, PTZ) induced a stereotyped and concentration-dependent sequence of behavioral changes culminating in clonus-like convulsions. Extracellular recordings from fish optic tectum revealed ictal and interictal-like electrographic discharges after application of PTZ, which could be blocked by tetrodotoxin or glutamate receptor antagonists. Epileptiform discharges were suppressed by commonly used antiepileptic drugs, valproate and diazepam, in a concentration-dependent manner. Up-regulation of c-fos expression was also observed in CNS structures of zebrafish exposed to PTZ. Taken together, these results demonstrate that chemically-induced seizures in zebrafish exhibit behavioral, electrographic, and molecular changes that would be expected from a rodent seizure model. Therefore, zebrafish larvae represent a powerful new system to study the underlying basis of seizure generation, epilepsy and epileptogenesis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping