Resumo

Objectives: to assess the predictive validity of antidepressants drugs on putative behavioral parameters in zebrafish and to develop fast, simple and valid tests, we investigated the behavioral responses of zebrafish acutely treated with different antidepressants on a protocol (the Group Behavior Task) that assesses simultaneously several behavioral parameters. Methods: We observed zebrafish treated with four concentrations of different classes antidepressants (imipramine, escitalopram, fluoxetine and nortriptyline), in four behavioral parameters (height in the tank, locomotion, color, and shoal cohesion). Drug concentrations were determined based on pilot drug response curves, the relative potency of drugs or chosen based on previous data. Raters were blind to treatment groups and a control group was included in every experiment. For the observation of a small group of adult zebrafish in a novel task, we developed a protocol called the Group Behavior Task during 10 minutes. Protocols were approved by the Ethics Committee of PUCRS. Results and conclusion: All the antidepressants increased height of zebrafish in the tank (p<0.05). These drugs produced inconsistent or minimal effects of locomotion and shoal cohesion whereas color scores increased only at the highest dose of each drug (p<0.05). These results suggest increased height in the tank is a useful parameter to identify antidepressants with serotonergic and/or noradrenergic activity. Support: CNPq.