EFFECT OF PRIOR CONDITION ON LEARNING, ANXIETY-LIKE BEHAVIOR AND AGGRESSIVITY IN ZEBRAFISH
ethanol, Danio rerio, enriched environment, trangerational effect
Environment and lifestyle are variables that can influence the well-being of individuals. When enriched, environments promote changes in brain plasticity that result in decreased stress, improved cognition, and reduced vulnerability to drugs. In the case of alcohol, consumption at low doses reduces anxiety (anxiolytic effect) and chronic doses, followed by withdrawal , increases anxiety (anxiogenic effect), and may promote cognitive impairment that can be passed between generations through epigenetic mechanisms. These mechanisms can be studied in animal models, such as zebrafish (Danio rerio), which stands out for being easy to maintain and reproduce in the laboratory, and for having about 80% of genetic and neurophysiological similarity with humans. However, despite the psychopharmacological analyzes developed with the administration of drugs of abuse in animal models, there is a need for studies that address the effects of alcohol interaction with other environmental variables. In this sense, this work will evaluate (through behavioral and cognitive tests) the effect of previous exposure (to alcohol and environmental enrichment) on cognition, stress and aggressiveness in zebrafish. In addition, it will be observed whether previous exposure of parental generation to alcohol and enriched environment alters the behavior of F1 generation individuals.