Advancing zebrafish as a model for studying developmental neurotoxicology

The cover photo shows the developing zebrafish nervous system at 5 days post-fertilization. Axon tracts are labeled with an anti-acetylated alpha tubulin antibody. The image, which was acquired on a Zeiss LSM 880 confocal microscope, is a maximum intensity projection of a z-stack that has been color-coded for depth. Major brain regions such as the olfactory bulb, forebrain, habenula, optic tectum, cerebellum, hindbrain, and eye are identifiable. This image is part of a study (Plavicki Lab, Brown University) focused on understanding the impact of toxicant exposures on brain development and activity with the goal of identifyingenvironmental factors that contribute to the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.