Effects of Acute Ethanol Exposure on Learning in Zebrafish
Submission Type
Event
Faculty Advisor
Brad Sheese
Expected Graduation Date
2021
Location
Center for Natural Sciences
Start Date
4-4-2020 2:00 PM
End Date
4-4-2020 3:00 PM
Disciplines
Education | Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Abstract
Zebrafish have been shown to be capable of learning through classical and operant conditioning. Zebrafish are used as models in neuroscience when studying their learning abilities through conditioning stimuli. The objective of the proposed study is to examine the period of time required for post-learning extinction of learned behavior in zebrafish following exposure to different levels of ethanol. Following exposure to different levels of ethanol, zebrafish were randomly assigned to three different levels of ethanol prior to learning: no ethanol, low dose ethanol (6 mL), and high dose ethanol (12 mL). Individual fish were observed during four different time periods: 10 minutes of acclimation, 10 minutes of baseline, 10 minutes of training, and 60 minutes of testing. In the ten-minute training period, fish reliably learned to avoid shock by restricting their movement to a randomly assigned side of the tank. Following the testing period, we examined the persistence of the learned behavior. Our analysis suggested that fish exposed to greater concentrations of ethanol should show decreased associative learning.
Effects of Acute Ethanol Exposure on Learning in Zebrafish
Center for Natural Sciences
Zebrafish have been shown to be capable of learning through classical and operant conditioning. Zebrafish are used as models in neuroscience when studying their learning abilities through conditioning stimuli. The objective of the proposed study is to examine the period of time required for post-learning extinction of learned behavior in zebrafish following exposure to different levels of ethanol. Following exposure to different levels of ethanol, zebrafish were randomly assigned to three different levels of ethanol prior to learning: no ethanol, low dose ethanol (6 mL), and high dose ethanol (12 mL). Individual fish were observed during four different time periods: 10 minutes of acclimation, 10 minutes of baseline, 10 minutes of training, and 60 minutes of testing. In the ten-minute training period, fish reliably learned to avoid shock by restricting their movement to a randomly assigned side of the tank. Following the testing period, we examined the persistence of the learned behavior. Our analysis suggested that fish exposed to greater concentrations of ethanol should show decreased associative learning.