Ethanol Exposure Alters Motor Abilities in Zebrafish Embryos

Abstract

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition that can affect the physical health and behavior of developing fetuses as a result of the pregnant mother’s consumption of alcohol. FAS is found in 0.2-1.5 infants out of 1,000. Much like FAS, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects behavior, often expressed in impaired social communication and repetitive behaviors. The two conditions can overlap symptoms, and 3% of FAS children also receiving ASD diagnoses. Zebrafish are an effective model organism to use for studying FAS and ASD related behaviors due to the ability to non-invasively observe internal processes via microscopy. Young zebrafish also develop motor capabilities within 5 days after fertilization. Observing the movement patterns of the young zebrafish exposed to varying concentrations of ethanol solution can reveal the impact of alcohol exposure on development and early behavior. To establish a motor assay protocol that can be used for future alcohol-related and other toxicological experiments in our lab, the experimental methods of past ethanol experiments conducted by Ali et al. (2011) were replicated.