Cichlid fish as a model for understanding social dysfunction

Social dysfunction is a prominent feature of many neuropsychiatric conditions, yet its biological basis remains incompletely understood. Progress has been limited in part by the difficulty of experimentally linking genes, circuits, and hormones to flexible social behavior. African cichlid fish offer a powerful and underutilized vertebrate system for addressing this gap. We highlight the African cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni, in which social status is dynamic and rapidly reversible, enabling direct analysis of socially driven changes in behavior, physiology, and brain state. These transitions engage conserved components of the vertebrate social decision-making network and are amenable to genetic and endocrine manipulation. Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing and transcriptomic profiling establish cichlids as tractable models for dissecting the control of social behavior and probing mechanisms underlying social dysfunction. By combining ecological validity with experimental precision, cichlids provide a unique entry point for identifying conserved mechanisms relevant to human social dysfunction.