Evaluation and Analysis of a Novel Automated Assay for Quantifying Visual Startle Response in Zebrafish Exposed to Methylmercury
Mentor 1
Gabriella Pinter, Istvan Lauko, Michael Carvan, Rebekah Klingler
Location
Union Wisconsin Room
Start Date
24-4-2015 10:30 AM
End Date
24-4-2015 11:45 AM
Description
Methylmercury pollutes bodies of water and bioaccumulates in food chains and is a well-documented and serious risk to environmental and human health. Small doses of methylmercury during gestation can have adverse effects on development, resulting in congenital diseases and behavioral problems. This study examines the effects of methylmercury exposure using zebrafish as an experimental model as they exhibit similar teratological and toxicological effects as humans. Prior studies have shown that methylmercury treated zebrafish show a dose-dependent decrease in response to visual stimuli, as well as abnormal retinal electrophysiology. However, determination of this startle response was not automated and required visual analysis and human interpretation of the response. These disadvantages left the possibility for inaccurate interpretation of responses, as well as bias and variability between observers. We aim to improve upon this previous assay through the use of a novel observation setup, motion tracking software and specialized analysis algorithms. Our automated approach produces locomotion data, including velocity and angular velocity data, which can be used to quantitatively identify the startle response. We present these findings and examine the validity of the new experimental design by comparing the results of this new assay to the gold standard of the previous assay.
Evaluation and Analysis of a Novel Automated Assay for Quantifying Visual Startle Response in Zebrafish Exposed to Methylmercury
Union Wisconsin Room
Methylmercury pollutes bodies of water and bioaccumulates in food chains and is a well-documented and serious risk to environmental and human health. Small doses of methylmercury during gestation can have adverse effects on development, resulting in congenital diseases and behavioral problems. This study examines the effects of methylmercury exposure using zebrafish as an experimental model as they exhibit similar teratological and toxicological effects as humans. Prior studies have shown that methylmercury treated zebrafish show a dose-dependent decrease in response to visual stimuli, as well as abnormal retinal electrophysiology. However, determination of this startle response was not automated and required visual analysis and human interpretation of the response. These disadvantages left the possibility for inaccurate interpretation of responses, as well as bias and variability between observers. We aim to improve upon this previous assay through the use of a novel observation setup, motion tracking software and specialized analysis algorithms. Our automated approach produces locomotion data, including velocity and angular velocity data, which can be used to quantitatively identify the startle response. We present these findings and examine the validity of the new experimental design by comparing the results of this new assay to the gold standard of the previous assay.
