Obesity Impairs Cognitive Function with No Effects on Anxiety-like Behaviour in Zebrafish
Alejandra Godino-Gimeno1, Per-Ove Thörnqvist2,3, Mauro Chivite4
1Control of Food Intake Group, Department of Fish Physiology and Biotechnology, Instituto de Acuicultura de Torre de la Sal, IATS-CSIC, 12595 Castellon, Spain.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
|August 12, 2023
Summary
Overfeeding causes obesity in zebrafish, impairing short-term memory but not anxiety or learning. This highlights metabolic disease effects on cognitive function in this model organism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Metabolic Diseases
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Zebrafish are increasingly used to model neurological and metabolic disorders.
- Studying energy disruption and nutrition effects on behavior is crucial.
- Obesity's impact on emotional and cognitive functions requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how obesity, induced by overfeeding in zebrafish, affects emotional and cognitive processes.
- To establish a reliable protocol for assessing metabolic disease effects on behavior and cognition.
Main Methods:
- Zebrafish were divided into control (2% feed) and overfeeding-induced obesity (OIO, 8% feed) groups for 8 weeks.
- Behavioral tests included novel tank diving test (anxiety), short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM) tests.
- Biometric sampling, lipid content, triglyceride analysis, and brain monoamine levels (dopamine, serotonin) were assessed.
Main Results:
- Overfeeding led to faster growth and obesity, evidenced by increased lipid content.
- Obesity did not affect anxiety-like behavior or conditioned learning.
- Obesity impaired short-term memory in zebrafish, irrespective of sex.
- Brain monoamine levels remained unaffected by obesity.
Conclusions:
- Obesity induced by overfeeding in zebrafish impairs short-term memory but not anxiety or learning.
- Zebrafish serve as a valuable model for studying the cognitive effects of metabolic diseases like obesity.
- The study provides a robust protocol for behavioral and cognitive neuroscience research in zebrafish models.
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