Swimming against ALS: How to model disease in zebrafish for pathophysiological and behavioral studies

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2023

Authors

Oliveira, NAS (Author) Other; Pinho, BR (Author) Other; Jorge M A Oliveira (Author) FFUP

Journal

Title: Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews

Vol. 148

ISSN: 0149-7634

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00Y-3E3

DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105138

Abstract (EN): Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to progressive disability and motor impairment. Existing therapies provide modest improvements in patient survival, raising a need for new treat-ments for ALS. Zebrafish is a promising model animal for translational and fundamental research in ALS - it is an experimentally tractable vertebrate, with high homology to humans and an ample experimental toolbox. These advantages allow high-throughput study of behavioral and pathophysiological phenotypes. The last decade saw an increased interest in modelling ALS in zebrafish, leading to the current abundance and variety of available methods and models. Additionally, the rise of gene editing techniques and toxin combination studies has created novel opportunities for ALS studies in zebrafish. In this review, we address the relevance of zebrafish as a model animal for ALS studies, the strategies for model induction and key phenotypical evaluation. Furthermore, we discuss established and emerging zebrafish models of ALS, analyzing their validity, including their potential for drug testing, and highlighting research opportunities in this area.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 12