Lateral line ablation by ototoxic compounds results in distinct rheotaxis profiles in larval zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: The zebrafish lateral line is an established model for hair cell organ damage, yet few studies link mechanistic disruptions to changes in biologically relevant behavior. We used larval zebrafish to determine how damage via ototoxic compounds impact rheotaxis. Larvae were treated with CuSO₄ or neomycin to disrupt lateral line function then exposed to water flow stimuli. Their swimming behavior was recorded on video then DeepLabCut and SimBA software were used to track movements and classify rheotaxis behavior, respectively. Lateral line-disrupted fish performed rheotaxis, but they swam greater distances, for shorter durations, and with greater angular variance than controls. Furthermore, spectral decomposition analyses confirmed that lesioned fish exhibited ototoxic compound-spec

SUBMITTER: Newton KC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9867717 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature