Fish like us: individual differences and effects of alcohol in zebrafish
animal personality, behavior, anxiety, zebrafish, alcohol
Alcohol is a licit drug. Exaggerated consumption of this substance is known as alcoholism and is among the most devastating problems of drug abuse. Acute drug consumption affects the neural system, culminating with alterations in neural circuitry homeostasis and the behavior of the individual. To evaluate these mechanisms, zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been considered a model, standing out due to its homology of about 70% of the human genome, high fecundity and maintenance. Several studies had shown a relationship between behavioral characteristics and alcohol consumption, a gap that has not yet been filled due to the high variability of its results, often derived from individual differences between the experimental subjects. Recently, it has been demonstrated that these individual differences result from genetic factors, environmental factor, metabolism, ontogenesis and personality, among others. In this sense, this study will evaluate, through behavioral tests and the effect of alcohol in the different behavioral profiles of zebrafish, in order to establish relationships between individual differences and propensity to alcoholism.