Measuring Effects of Psychostimulants on Egocentric Spatial Learning and Memory in Adult Zebrafish

A brief summary of teleost spatial navigation research is followed by a description of a paradigm for the evaluation of egocentric-based, or viewpoint-dependent, spatial learning and memory function in zebrafish. The three-axis maze and testing protocol are used to evaluate the effects of nicotine and methylphenidate on spatial lionizing and memory. Similar to mammalian studies, results demonstrate that low doses of nicotine (200 mg/L) and methylphenidate (1.0 mg/L) significantly improve maze navigation times and reduced performance errors, while high doses of nicotine (400 mg/L) and methylphenidate (3.0 mg/L) are detrimental to learning. Zebrafish are capable of learning and executing spatial tasks from an egocentric frame of reference and the effects of psychostimulants on zebrafish learning suggest that the brain mechanisms for spatial navigation are conserved across species.