Sains Malaysiana 50(1)(2021): 201-206

http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2021-5001-20

Startle Habituation: A Tool for Assessing Information Processing Deficits in Zebrafish Model of Schizophrenia

(Kejutan Habituasi: Suatu Alat untuk Menilai Maklumat Defisit Pemprosesan pada Model Ikan Zebra Skizofrenia)

WEN-YANG PNG¹, PEK-YEE TANG¹, SATOSHI OGAWA², ISHWAR PARHAR², SIEW-YING MOK¹*

¹Department of Mechatronics and Biomedical Engineering, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, Cheras, 43000 Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

²Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Diserahkan: 10 April 2020/Diterima: 19 Jun 2020

ABSTRACT

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) and habituation of acoustic startle reflex have been extensively used to assess deficits in the sensorimotor functions of human patients and animal models of schizophrenia. These assays require expensive and sophisticated experimental setup for fine control of acoustic stimuli and sound attenuation. In this study, we investigate whether startle habituation assay based on mechanical (tap) stimuli can induce similar impairment in the habituation response in the schizophrenia model of larval zebrafish. For this purpose, a custom startle apparatus consisting of a 9 V push and pull solenoid and an Arduino Uno microcontroller was used to generate tap stimuli at desired intervals. Our results showed that tap stimuli at 1 Hz effectively evoked startle response in the control fishes which habituated after a few trials. The habituation response was significantly impaired in the MK801-induced schizophrenia model, similar to that elicited by acoustic startle stimuli in a previous study. We propose this simple and inexpensive method as an alternative tool for studying information processing and attention deficits in the pharmacological model of schizophrenia in zebrafish. 

Keywords: Habituation; schizophrenia; startle; tap stimuli; zebrafish

ABSTRAK

Inhibisi prepulse dan habituasi refleks kejutan akustik telah digunakan secara meluas untuk menilai defisit dalam fungsi sensorimotor pesakit dan model haiwan skizofrenia. Ujian sebelum ini memerlukan peralatan uji kaji yang mahal dan canggih untuk kawalan halus rangsangan akustik dan pelemahan bunyi. Dalam kajian ini, kami mengkaji sama ada ujian habituasi berdasarkan rangsangan mekanikal (ketukan) boleh menyebabkan kemerosotan yang sama dalam tindak balas seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam model habituasi skizofrenia ikan zebra. Untuk tujuan ini, kami membina radas yang terdiri daripada solenoid tolak-dan-tarik dan mikropengawal Arduino Uno untuk menjana rangsangan mekanikal mengikut selangan yang dikehendaki. Hasil kajian kami menunjukkan bahawa rangsangan ketukan pada 1 Hz berkesan menimbulkan tindak balas kejutan kepada ikan kelompok kawalan dan menunjukkan habituasi selepas beberapa set rangsangan mekanikal. Tindak balas habituasi dalam model skizofrenia yang diinduksikan oleh MK801 terjejas dengan ketara, sama seperti yang ditunjukkan dalam kajian rangsangan akustik sebelum ini. Kami mencadangkan kaedah yang mudah dan berpatutan ini sebagai alternatif untuk mengkaji pemprosesan maklumat dan defisit perhatian dalam model farmakologi skizofrenia ikan zebra.

Kata kunci: Habituasi; ikan zebra; kejutan; rangsangan mekanikal; skizofrenia

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: moksy@utar.edu.my