ACUTE RESTRAINT STRESS INDUCES ALTERATION IN SCOTOTAXIS BEHAVIOR IN ZEBRAFISH

Scototaxis is a defined behavior of preference for either light or dark environments based on environmental cues and paradigms. This behavior is commonly utilized to evaluate anxiety disorders in mammalian. The cerebral events involved in the generation of scototaxis disruption elicited by acute restraint stress (ARS) still remain unclear. Fish have a relatively simple nervous system but share similar neurotransmitters and neural pathways present in mammalian. Therefore, studying scototaxis in this species may allow for direct analysis of the neural circuits involved in altered behavior responses.