Behaviour genetic analysis of zebra fish

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Relational learning and consolidation of memory are two of the most complex brain functions. Their mechanisms are not understood. These functions are thought to be dependent upon the mammalian hippocampal formation. It is not known whether these functions are the attribute of the special circuitry of the hippocampus and/or of its synaptic and molecular characteristics. Gold fish (a cyprinid) have been shown to acquire relational learning (e.g. spatial learning). Cyprinids, including zebrafish, do not have a hippocampus or a circuitry resembling that of the hippocampus. The question arises: how can Cyprinids solve and remember complex relational learning problems? Here, Gerlai theorizes that perhaps it is not the circuitry of the hippocampus but some other, more fundamental aspects, e.g. synaptic or molecular level characteristics, which are responsible. In other words, Gerlai argues that zebrafish will allow him to analyze the mechanisms of relational learning without the complexities of mammalian brain structure. In the simpler zebrafish vertebrate system, he argues, he will discover the fundamental genetic mechanisms of relational learning and consolidation of memory. Zebrafish genes have been found homologous to mammalian genes including our own.  Gold fish and zebrafish have been shown to posses numerous neurotransmitter systems and molecular mechanisms similar to those of mammals.  When compared with, and extrapolated to, the mammalian and other systems, zebrafish results will allow Gerlai to generalize and better understand both proximal (mechanistic) and ultimate (evolutionary, phylogenetic) questions of learning & memory. The proposed work is focussed on behavioural characterization of this novel model organism and the development of test paradigms that will be scaled up for high throughput mutagenesis screening.  Screening will then detect novel mutants, which in turn will allow Gerlai to identify novel genes in the future.