Zebrafish as a comprehensive model of neurological diseases

Shahnawaz Ahmed *, Gayathri Venkatesan, Deshapathi Sai Prapul and Abdul Rasheed Md.

Department of Ecotoxicology, RCC Laboratories India Private Limited, Hyderabad, India.
 
Review
International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 2023, 10(01), 018–052.
Article DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2023.10.1.0696
Publication history: 
Received on 18 July 2023; revised on 30 August 2023; accepted on 01 September 2023
 
Abstract: 
Neurological diseases play an important role in world health and require new treatments. In recent years, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a powerful and versatile animal model to study many neurological diseases and facilitate drug discovery. This article provides an overview of the use of zebrafish models in neuro drug discovery and clinical evaluation and highlights the challenges in translating these findings into clinical practice. Researchers are using the zebrafish model to study various neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy and autism spectrum disorders. These models provide insight into disease processes and allow the identification of drug targets and therapeutic agents. However, several challenges prevent the zebrafish-based findings from being translated for clinical use. First, the difference in brain complexity between zebrafish and animals requires careful validation of results in more complex models. In addition, it is difficult to understand drug pharmacokinetics and kinetics in zebrafish and to determine their relationship to human physiology. In addition, the need for qualitative behavioral tests and quantitative neurological readouts present significant challenges for assessing the efficacy of drugs in zebrafish models. Overcoming these challenges requires the optimization of experiments and the integration of advanced techniques to improve data accuracy and reproducibility.
 
Keywords: 
Zebrafish; Neurological Disorders; Neuroanatomy; Genetic tractability; Drug Screening; Challenges
 
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