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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Behav. Neurosci.
Sec. Pathological Conditions
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1464992

DISTINCT ACUTE STRESSORS PRODUCE DIFFERENT INTENSITY OF ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIOR AND DIFFERENTIAL GLUTAMATE RELEASE IN ZEBRAFISH BRAIN

Provisionally accepted
Milena L. Martins Milena L. Martins 1Emerson F. Pinheiro Emerson F. Pinheiro 1Geovanna A. Saito Geovanna A. Saito 1Caroline A. Costa De Lima Caroline A. Costa De Lima 1Luana Ketlen R. Leão Luana Ketlen R. Leão 1Evander d. Batista Evander d. Batista 1,2Adelaide C. Passos Adelaide C. Passos 1Amauri Gouveia Junior Amauri Gouveia Junior 3Karen R. H. Oliveira Karen R. H. Oliveira 1Anderson M. Herculano Anderson M. Herculano 1*
  • 1 Laboratory of Experimental Neuropharmacology, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil
  • 2 Tropical Medicine Center, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Pará, Brazil
  • 3 Laboratory of Neuroscience and Behavior, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Anxiety disorder is one of the most well-characterized behavioral disorders in individuals subjected to acute or chronic stress. However, few studies have demonstrated how different types of stressors can modulate the neurochemical alterations involved in the generation of anxiety. In this study, we hypothesize that subjects exposed to different aversive stimuli (mechanical, chemical, and spatial restriction) present varied intensities of anxiety-like responses associated with distinct patterns of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate release in the brain. Adult zebrafish, Danio rerio (n = 60), were randomly divided into four experimental groups; control, acute restraint stress (ARS), conspecific alarm substance (CAS), and chasing with net (CN). After the stress protocols, the animals were individually transferred to a novel tank diving test for behavioral analysis. Subsequently, their brains were collected and subjected to GABA and glutamate release assay for quantification by HPLC. Our behavioral results showed that all aversive stimuli were capable of inducing anxiety-like behavior. However, the impact of anxiogenic behavior was more prominent in the CN and CAS groups when compared to ARS. This phenomenon was evident in all analyzed behavioral parameters (time on top, freezing, mean speed, maximum speed, and erratic swimming). Our data also showed that all aversive stimuli significantly decreased GABA release compared to the control group. Only animals exposed to CN and CAS presented an increase in extracellular glutamate levels. Different acute stressors induced different levels of anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish as well as specific alterations in GABAergic and glutamatergic release in the brain. These results demonstrate the complexity of anxiety disorders, highlighting that both behavioral and neurochemical responses are highly context-dependent.

    Keywords: anxiety-like behavior, stress, Neurochemistry, Glutamate, Zebrafish

    Received: 15 Jul 2024; Accepted: 01 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Martins, Pinheiro, Saito, Costa De Lima, Leão, Batista, Passos, Gouveia Junior, Oliveira and Herculano. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Anderson M. Herculano, Laboratory of Experimental Neuropharmacology, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil

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