The Emergence of Behavioral Testing of Fishes to Measure Toxicological Effects.

Historically, research in toxicology has utilized non-human mammalian species, particularly rats and mice, to study the effects of toxic exposure on physiology and behavior. However, ethical considerations and the overwhelming increase in the number of chemicals to be screened has led to a shift away from work. The decline in experimentation has been accompanied by an increase in alternative methods for detecting and predicting detrimental effects: experimentation and modeling. Yet, these new methodologies can not replace the need for work on animal physiology and behavior. The development of new, non-mammalian model systems shows great promise in restoring our ability to use behavioral endpoints in toxicological testing. Of these systems, the zebrafish, , is the model organism for which we are accumulating enough knowledge , , and to enable us to develop a comprehensive, highthroughput toxicology screening system.