The importance of understanding the ethology and ecology of the zebrafish, and of other fish species, in experimental research

Abozaid A, Scaramuzzo M, Patel H, Gerlai R (2025) A novel food delivery method for learning studies detects significant differences in food preference in zebrafish. Zebrafish 20:20–29. https://doi.org/10.1089/zeb.2024.0176

Article  Google Scholar 

Abozaid A, Gerlai R (2024) A search for effective reinforcers in appetitive conditioning for adult zebrafish: ecologically relevant unconditioned stimuli. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psych. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2024.110946

Article  Google Scholar 

Abozaid A, Gerlai R (2023) Paradoxical effects of feeding status on food consumption and learning performance in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psych. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2023.110846

Article  Google Scholar 

Al-Imari L, Gerlai R (2008) Sight of conspecifics as reward in associative learning tasks for zebrafish (Danio rerio) Behav. Brain Res 189:216–219

Google Scholar 

Arunachalam M, Raja M, Vijayakumar C, Malaiammal P, Mayden RL (2013) Natural history of zebrafish (Danio rerio) in India. Zebrafish 10:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1089/zeb.2012.0803

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Brooks JS (2009) The emergence of behavioral testing of fishes to measure toxicological effects. Toxicol Res 25:9–15. https://doi.org/10.5487/TR.2009.25.1.009

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Buatois A, Siddiqi Z, Naim S, Marawi T, Gerlai R (2023) A simple semi-automated home-tank method and procedure to explore classical associative learning in adult zebrafish. Behav Res Meth. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02076-7

Article  Google Scholar 

Creaser CW (1934) The technic of handling the zebra fish (Brachydanio rerio) for the production of eggs which are favorable for embryological research and are available at any specified time throughout the year. Copeia 1934(4):159–161

Article  Google Scholar 

Csányi V (1977) Magatartásgenetika. Budapest, Akadémia Kiadó, pp 174

Campbell JM, Hartjes KA, Nelson TJ, Xu X, Ekker SC (2013) New and TALENted genome engineering toolbox. Circ Res 113:571–587. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.113.301765

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Chatterjee D, Shams S, Gerlai R (2014) Chronic and acute alcohol administration induced neurochemical changes in the brain: comparison of distinct zebrafish populations. Amino Acids 46:921–930

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Crusio WE, Van Abeelen JHF (1986) The genetic architecture of behavioral-responses to novelty in mice. Heredity 56:55–63. https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1986.8

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Csányi V, Gerlai R (1988) Open-field behavior and the behavior-genetic analysis of the paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis). J Comp Psychol 102:326–336

Article  Google Scholar 

Csányi V, Tóth P, Altbacker V, Dóka A, Gervai J (1985) Behavioral elements of the paradise fish (Macropodus-opercularis). 2. A Functional-Analysis. Acta Biol Hungarica 36:115–130

Google Scholar 

Csányi V, Tóth P (1985) Ethological analysis of social and environmental-effects on the distribution of the behavioral elements of the paradise fish (Macropodus-opercularis L). Acta Biol Hung 36:245–258

PubMed  Google Scholar 

Csányi V, Gervai J (1985) Genotype-environment interaction in passive avoidance learning of the paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis). Acta Biol Hung 36:259–267

PubMed  Google Scholar 

Csányi V, Gervai J (1986) Behavior-genetic analysis of the paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis. II. Passive avoidance learning in inbred strains. Behav Genet 16:553–557. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066341

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Davis RE, Kassel J (1975) The ontogeny of agonistic behavior and the onset of sexual maturation in the paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis (Linnaeus)1. Behav Biol 14(01):31–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0091-6773(75)90290-4

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Ekker SC (2008) Zinc finger-based knockout punches for zebrafish genes. Zebrafish 5:121–123. https://doi.org/10.1089/zeb.2008.9988

Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Engeszer RE, Patterson LB, Rao AA, Parichy DM (2007) Zebrafish in the wild: a review of natural history and new notes from the field. Zebrafish 4:21–40. https://doi.org/10.1089/zeb.2006.9997

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Fetcho JR, Liu KS (1998) Zebrafish as a model system for studying neuronal circuits and behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci 860:333–345. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1998.tb09060.x

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Fodor E, Okendo J, Szabó N, Czimer D, et al (2023) The reference genome of the paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis). bioRxiv Aug 10:2023.08.10.552018. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.10.552018

Fuller JL, Thompson WR (1960) Behavior Genetics. John Wiley and Sons, New York. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.1330200232

Book  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2020a) Evolutionary conservation, translational relevance and cognitive function: the future of zebrafish in behavioral neuroscience. Neurosci Biobeh Rev 116:426–435

Article  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2020b) Relational learning in zebrafish. In: Gerlai R (Ed). Behavioral and Neural Genetics of Zebrafish, Elsevier, Academic Press, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ISBN: 9780128175286 pp 205–222

Gerlai R (2020c) Fear responses and antipredatory behavior of zebrafish: A translational perspective. In: Gerlai R (Ed). Behavioral and Neural Genetics of Zebrafish, Elsevier, Academic Press, Amsterdam, The Netherlands ISBN: 9780128175286 pp 155–173

Gerlai R (2019) Reproducibility and replicability in zebrafish behavioral neuroscience research. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 178:30–38

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2018) Spontaneous versus induced mutations: Conceptual and methodological considerations for the neurobehavioral geneticist. In: Gerlai R (ed) Molecular-Genetic and Statistical Techniques for Behavioral and Neural Research. Elsevier, Academic Press, London, pp 153–164

Chapter  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2017) Zebrafish and relational memory: Could a simple fish be useful for the analysis of biological mechanisms of complex vertebrate learning? Behav Proc 141:242–250

Article  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2016a) Zebrafish psychopharmacology. Curr Psychopharm 5:70–72

Article  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2016b) Learning and memory in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Methods Cell Biol 134:551–586

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2015) Embryonic alcohol exposure: towards the development of a zebrafish model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Dev Psychobiol 57:787–798

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2014) Zebrafish phenomics: behavioral screens and phenotyping of mutagenized fish. Current Opin Behav Sci 2:21–27

Article  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2011) Associative learning in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Methods Cell Biol 101:249–270

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (2002) Phenomics: Fiction or the Future? Trends Neurosci 25:506–509

Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R (1993) Can paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis) recognize its natural predator? An ethological analysis. Ethology 94:127–136

Article  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R, Clayton NS (1999a) Analysing hippocampal function in transgenic mice: an ethological perspective. Trends Neurosci 22:47–51

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R, Clayton NS (1999b) Tapping artificially into natural talents – Reply. Trends Neurosci 22:301–302

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R, Crusio WE (1995) Organization of motor and posture patterns in paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis): environmental and genetic components of phenotypical correlation structures. Behav Genet 25:385–396

Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Gerlai R, Csányi V (1990) Genotype environment interaction and the correlation structure of behavioral elements in paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis). Physiol Behav 47(343):356

Google Scholar 

Gerlai R, Hogan JA (1992) Learning to find the opponent: an ethological analysis of the behavior of paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis, Anabantidae) in intra and inter specific encounters. J Comp Psychol 106:306–315

Article 

Comments (0)

No login
gif