Nocifensive Behavior in Adult and Larval Zebrafish

A long-standing debate on whether fish can feel pain is coming to a close as evidence gathers regarding the existence of nociceptive mechanisms in the peripheral and central nervous system of these vertebrates, as well as nocifensive behavior that can be altered by pharmacological treatment and environmental manipulations. In this chapter, we present different protocols to assess chemically, thermally, and electrically induced nocifensive behavior in zebrafish larvae and adults. These protocols are easily applied, sensitive to drug treatment, and sensitive to environmental manipulations (such as fear-inducing alarm substance) which lead to antinociception in mammals.