Hillman Courtney, Fontana Barbara D, Amstislavskaya Tamara G, Gorbunova Maria A, Altenhofen Stefani, Barthelson Karissa, Bastos Leonardo M, Borba João V, Bonan Carla D, Brennan Caroline H, Farías-Cea Amaury, Cooper Austin, Corcoran Jamie, Dondossola Eduardo R, Martinez-Duran Luis M, Gallas-Lopes Matheus, Galstyan David S, Garcia Ella O, Gerken Ewan, Hindges Robert, Kenney Justin W, Kleshchev Maxim A, Kolesnikova Tatiana O, Leggieri Adele, Khatsko Sergey L, Lardelli Michael, Lodetti Guilherme, Lombardelli Giulia, Luchiari Ana C, Portela Stefani M, Medan Violeta, Moutinho Lirane M, Nekhoroshev Evgeny V, Petersen Barbara D, Petrunich-Rutherford Maureen L, Piato Angelo, Porfiri Maurizio, Read Emily, Resmim Cássio M, Rico Eduardo P, Rosemberg Denis B, de Abreu Murilo S, Salazar Catia A, Stahlhofer-Buss Thailana, Teixeira Júlia R, Valentim Ana M, Zhdanov Alexander V, Iturriaga-Vásquez Patricio, Wang Xian, Wong Ryan Y, Kalueff Allan V, Parker Matthew O
Surrey Sleep Research Centre, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, School of Biosciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK.
Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
Lab Anim (NY). 2025 May 26. doi: 10.1038/s41684-025-01548-x.
The reproducibility crisis in bioscience, characterized by inconsistent study results, impedes our understanding of biological processes. Global collaborative studies offer a unique solution to this problem. Here, we present a global collaboration using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) novel tank test, a popular behavioral assay for anxiety-like responses. We analyzed data from 20 laboratories worldwide, focusing on housing conditions and experimental setups. Our study included 488 adult zebrafish, tested for 5 min, focusing on a variety of variables. Key findings show that female zebrafish exhibit more anxiety-like behavior than males, highlighting sex as a critical variable. Housing conditions, including higher stocking densities and specific feed types, also influenced anxiety levels. Optimal conditions (5 fish/L) and nutritionally rich feeds (for example, rotifers) mitigated anxiety-like behaviors. Environmental stressors, such as noise and transportation, significantly impacted behavior. We recommend standardizing testing protocols to account for sex differences, optimal stocking densities, nutritionally rich feeds and minimizing stressors to improve the reliability of zebrafish behavioral studies.
生物科学中的可重复性危机，其特点是研究结果不一致，阻碍了我们对生物过程的理解。全球合作研究为这个问题提供了一个独特的解决方案。在这里，我们展示了一项利用斑马鱼（Danio rerio）新型鱼缸试验的全球合作，这是一种用于检测类似焦虑反应的常用行为分析方法。我们分析了来自全球20个实验室的数据，重点关注饲养条件和实验设置。我们的研究包括488条成年斑马鱼，测试时长为5分钟，重点关注各种变量。主要研究结果表明，雌性斑马鱼比雄性斑马鱼表现出更多的类似焦虑行为，这突出了性别作为一个关键变量。饲养条件，包括更高的放养密度和特定的饲料类型，也会影响焦虑水平。最佳条件（每升5条鱼）和营养丰富的饲料（如轮虫）可减轻类似焦虑的行为。环境应激源，如噪音和运输，会显著影响行为。我们建议规范测试方案，以考虑性别差异、最佳放养密度、营养丰富的饲料，并尽量减少应激源，以提高斑马鱼行为研究的可靠性。
