Australian researchers are using genetically modified zebrafish to investigate how psychiatric disorders develop, after finding striking similarities between the fish and people with schizophrenia and autism.
Dr Jean Giacomotto and his team have created zebrafish carrying the same gene alterations associated with the conditions in humans. The researchers say the animals develop behavioural changes that mirror some seen in people with psychiatric disorders.
“The structure of the brain is so profoundly similar to humans that manipulating those genes, these tiny fish, lead to the exact, very similar trait that we see in humans,” Dr Giacomotto said.
Genetically modified zebrafish show changes in behaviour
The team says it has nearly reproduced what could be described as a schizophrenic fish, with changes emerging at stages of development comparable to those seen in humans.
“At the juvenile and adult stage, they have a profound change in behaviour, such as social withdrawal, anxiety, change in aggression,” Dr Giacomotto said.
In laboratory tests, some zebrafish explored their tanks freely, while others considered anxious avoided using the entire space. The researchers say the behaviour offers a way to examine how social and emotional traits may be linked to genetic changes.
The findings raise the possibility that complex social behaviours could be deeply encoded in DNA, rather than being shaped solely by experience or the environment. “It’s brilliant, just manipulating a gene,” one researcher said.
The team hopes the work will help scientists test potential treatments for psychiatric disorders and improve understanding of how the conditions develop. Researchers are now examining whether the behavioural changes can be stopped or reversed.
