This project has three main goals. 1. Analysis of startle modulation. In zebrafish, as in mammals, startle responses are inhibited when the startle stimulus is preceded by a weak auditory prepulse. This form of startle modulation, termed prepulse inhibition, is diminished in neurological conditions including schizophrenia. Using volumetric calcium imaging and intersectional genetic approaches, we located the precise cluster of neurons that regulate prepulse inhibition. In zebrafish, only the fastest startle responses are subject to prepulse inhibition. To understand why, we have identified a new group of neurons that initiate delayed startle responses. Direct imaging of neurotransmitter release revealed reduced sensory drive from auditory afferents during prepulse inhibition specifically to neurons that initiate rapid startle responses, while sparing signaling to other auditory centers. 2. Functional mapping of neuronal architecture mediating short-term behavioral states. We previously demonstrated that light sensitive neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus induce a state of hyperactivity in response to loss of illumination. Behavioral tests demonstrated that this state is part of a light-search strategy. Upon loss of light, larvae initially perform an area-restricted search for illumination. If no light is detected, larvae then swim in an outwards pattern to locate remote sources of light. By performing CRISPR-mediated gene inactivation, we demonstrated that the transition between these two light-search behavioral states requires somatostatin signaling. 3. Development of new tools for analysis of neural circuits. We previously developed a high throughput method for rapidly imaging the entire larval zebrafish brain, then registering images to a reference. Using this method, we developed a brain atlas of transgenic lines, with a focus on Gal4 and Cre lines that can be used for neural circuit analysis. These lines can be visualized using an online interface, and are publicly available to promote research. Next, we implemented a computational approach for automated neuroanatomical analysis of the brain that allows us to systematically screen genetic mutant fish for changes in brain microstructure and composition, in an unbiased fashion. We have generated CRISPR mutants for the zebrafish homologs of high impact schizophrenia and autism genes, and compared brain structure in mutants to wildtype fish, revealing previously unsuspected alterations.
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