Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Loss of tissue-state plasticity: a conceptual framework for age-associated regenerative failure.

Inflammation and regeneration·2026

Same author

Hemizygous loss-of-function variants of EIF1AX are associated with a syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder.

European journal of human genetics : EJHG·2026

Same author

A protective role for APP in nuclear waste clearance via lysosomal exocytosis.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Lipofuscin accumulation in aging and neurodegeneration: a potential "timebomb" overlooked in Alzheimer's disease.

Translational neurodegeneration·2025

Same author

Behavioral and molecular insights into anxiety in ube3a and fmr1 zebrafish models of autism spectrum disorders.

Translational psychiatry·2025

Same author

A robust protocol for proteomic profiling of secreted proteins in conditioned culture medium.

Biology methods & protocols·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Semi-Quantitative Determination of Dopaminergic Neuron Density in the Substantia Nigra of Rodent Models using Automated Image Analysis

Semi-Quantitative Determination of Dopaminergic Neuron Density in the Substantia Nigra of Rodent Models using Automated Image Analysis

Published on: February 2, 2021

An optimized method for counting dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish.

Hideaki Matsui^1,2, Atsushi Sugie^1,2

¹Department of Neuroscience of disease, Center for Transdisciplinary Research, Niigata University, Niigata-shi, Niigata, Japan.

|September 8, 2017

Summary

Developing a reliable method to count dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish is crucial for Parkinson's disease (PD) research. This study introduces an optimized staining and counting protocol, validating its effectiveness in PD models.

More Related Videos

Locomotor Assessment of 6-Hydroxydopamine-induced Adult Zebrafish-based Parkinson's Disease Model

Locomotor Assessment of 6-Hydroxydopamine-induced Adult Zebrafish-based Parkinson's Disease Model

Published on: December 28, 2021

Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods

Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods

Published on: June 25, 2019

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Semi-Quantitative Determination of Dopaminergic Neuron Density in the Substantia Nigra of Rodent Models using Automated Image Analysis

Semi-Quantitative Determination of Dopaminergic Neuron Density in the Substantia Nigra of Rodent Models using Automated Image Analysis

Published on: February 2, 2021

Locomotor Assessment of 6-Hydroxydopamine-induced Adult Zebrafish-based Parkinson's Disease Model

Locomotor Assessment of 6-Hydroxydopamine-induced Adult Zebrafish-based Parkinson's Disease Model

Published on: December 28, 2021

Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods

Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods

Published on: June 25, 2019

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Genetics
Pharmacology

Background:

Parkinson's disease (PD) research increasingly utilizes fish models to study neurodegeneration.
Accurate quantification of dopaminergic neurons is essential for evaluating PD pathology in these models.
Existing methods for counting dopaminergic neurons in fish are not standardized and present challenges like stereological unsuitability and serial sectioning difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop and validate an optimized protocol for staining and reliably counting dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish.
To establish a standardized method for assessing neurodegeneration in fish models of Parkinson's disease.

Main Methods:

Optimization of a staining protocol for dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish.
Development of a reliable neuron counting method suitable for fish models.
Application of the protocol to zebrafish models with induced Parkinson's-like pathology (6-hydroxydopamine administration or PINK1 gene deletion).

Main Results:

An optimized protocol for staining and counting dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons in zebrafish was established.
The protocol demonstrated a significant reduction in dopaminergic and noradrenergic neuron numbers in zebrafish treated with 6-hydroxydopamine.
Deletion of the PINK1 gene in zebrafish also resulted in a significant decrease in dopaminergic and noradrenergic neuron counts.

Conclusions:

The developed protocol provides a reliable and standardized method for quantifying dopaminergic neurons in zebrafish.
This method is effective in detecting neurodegeneration in established fish models of Parkinson's disease.
The protocol will facilitate the advancement and evaluation of fish models for Parkinson's disease research.