Zebrafish reveal human drug effects

2010-01-20
Newsfeed

US researchers say their studies on the effect of brain drugs on zebrafish behaviour may result in new treatment for psychiatric and neurological problems among humans.

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US researchers say their studies on the effect of brain drugs on zebrafish behaviour may result in new treatment for psychiatric and neurological problems among humans.

The studies, published in the journal Science, suggest that zebrafish have a brain chemistry strikingly similar to mammals, so their response to different drugs can help predict the effects of the same compounds in humans.

A team of scientists, led by Randall Peterson of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston exposed zebrafish embryos to thousands of drugs and measured their reaction to stimuli such as a flash of light or a slight poke.

Elsewhere, Harvard University scientist Alexander Schier and his colleagues analysed the effect of various drugs on the sleep-wake cycles of zebrafish larvae.

Findings from both studies, indicated that each drug had its own "fingerprint", producing a singular effect on zebrafish behaviour. Compounds with similar "fingerprints" worked by affecting the same molecular pathways.

Dr Peterson said: "I can't tell you what a psychotic zebrafish looks like but I can tell you what a zebrafish treated with an antipsychotic looks like."

Analysing and profiling the behavioural patterns may identify drugs that could be used to treat sleep disorders, depression and, Alzheimer's disease.

It could also help reveal potential side effects of different classes of drugs and how they might work in combination, the researchers said.

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