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. 2022 Oct 30;27(21):7374. doi: 10.3390/molecules27217374

Table 2.

Neurobehavioral assessment tests in zebrafish.

Behavioral Test Behavioral Domain Procedure Parameters Tested (unit)
Locomotor activity test Locomotor activity Zebrafish is allowed to swim for a certain period of time.

  • Total distance traveled (m)

  • Speed (m/s)

  • Freezing time (s)

  • Thigmotaxis (s or m)
Novel tank test Anxiety-like behavior
And locomotor activity		 Zebrafish is allowed to swim for a certain period of time. Tank is divided horizontally (virtually) into 2 segments.

  • Time spent and distance traveled in the upper or lower half of the tank (s)

  • Total distance traveled (m)

  • Speed (m/s)

  • Freezing time (s)
Inhibitory avoidance test Learning and memory retention Can be consisted of habituation, training and probe phases. A form of operant conditioning with negative reinforcement.

  • Latency to enter the target area (s)

  • Number of entries to the target area (%)

  • Time spent in the target area (s)

  • Distance traveled in the target area (m)
Appetitive conditioning test Learning and memory retention Can be consisted of habituation, training and probe phases. A form of associative learning with appetitive stimulus.

  • Latency to enter the target area (s)

  • Number of entries to the target area (%)

  • Time spent in the target area (s)

  • Distance traveled in the target area (m)
Y-maze test Spatial recognition and memory Zebrafish is allowed to explore the maze for a certain period of time.

  • Spontaneous alternation (%)

  • Time spent in novel arm (s)

  • Distance traveled in novel arm (m)
Novel object recognition test Object recognition and memory Zebrafish is allowed to explore the objects for a certain period of time.

  • Time spent on novel object (s)

  • Preference for novel object (%)

  • Distance traveled from novel object (m)