Zebrafish: a model system to examine the neurodevelopmental basis of schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a devastating disorder caused by both genetic and environmental factors that disrupt brain development and function. It is distinguished as a neurodevelopmental disorder in part due to early cognitive impairments, behavioral dysfunction in childhood and adolescence, and abnormalities in central nervous system development. Zebrafish are recognized as an important vertebrate model for human development and disease. There are many advantages of using zebrafish as a model, such as low cost to maintain, rapid life cycle, optical clarity and rapid external embryonic development. Furthermore, multiple molecular genetic techniques have been developed to readily study gene function during development. In this review, we will discuss the advantages of using the zebrafish model system to study schizophrenia.