Anxiolytic effects of an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, physostigmine, in the adult zebrafish

Anxiety in zebrafish can be determined by examining their bottom-dwelling and light-avoidance behavior. This study determines the effects of physostigmine and scopolamine on anxiety in zebrafish by measuring swimming frequency for three horizontal layers and three vertical columns of a water test tank illuminated by a light source located above the central surface of the tank. In the 1 h session, zebrafish in the control group preferred the bottom layer the most and the center column the least. Zebrafish treated with 2-20 mu M physostigmine were more likely to prefer the top layer than controls, and there were significant pairwise differences between physostigmine-treated zebrafish and controls, indicating the anxiolytic effect of physostigmine. Further, 10 and 20 mu M physostigmine-treated zebrafish no longer avoided the center column. Scopolamine had no anxiolytic effect on bottom-dwelling and light-avoidance behaviors but suppressed the anxiolytic effect of physostigmine. In terms of their preference for various zones formed by layers and columns, zebrafish in the control group preferred the bottom left and right zones the most. Physostigmine had a positive effect on the preference for the top center zone, which was suppressed by scopolamine pretreatment. The results suggest that the level of anxiety in zebrafish can be reduced by activating acetylcholinergic neurotransmitter systems, which is mediated in part by muscarinic receptors.