Understanding neurobehavioral effects of acute and chronic stress in zebrafish

Stress is a common cause of neuropsychiatric disorders, evoking multiple behavioral, endocrine and neuro-immune deficits. Animal models have been extensively used to understand the mechanisms of stress-related disorders and to develop novel strategies for their treatment. Complementing rodent and clinical studies, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is one of the most important model organisms in biomedicine. Rapidly becoming a popular model species in stress neuroscience research, zebrafish are highly sensitive to both acute and chronic stress, and show robust, well-defined behavioral and physiological stress responses. Here, we critically evaluate the utility of zebrafish-based models for studying acute and chronic stress-related CNS pathogenesis, assess the advantages and limitations of these aquatic models, and emphasize their relevance for the development of novel anti-stress therapies. Overall, the zebrafish emerges as a powerful and sensitive model organism for stress research. Although these fish generally display evolutionarily conserved behavioral and physiological responses to stress, zebrafish-specific aspects of neurogenesis, neuroprotection and neuro-immune responses may be particularly interesting to explore further, as they may offer additional insights into stress pathogenesis that complement (rather than merely replicate) rodent findings. Compared to mammals, zebrafish models are also characterized by increased availability of gene-editing tools and higher throughput of drug screening, thus being able to uniquely empower translational research of genetic determinants of stress and resilience, as well as to foster innovative CNS drug discovery and the development of novel anti-stress therapies.