Modelling Chemically-induced Seizures in Zebrafish: A Holistic Review of Current Research Applications

The neurological condition known as epilepsy affects both adults and children, and little is known about many facets of this illness. In addition to examining Zebrafish's potential as an epileptic research model, this review compares the numerous chemicals used to cause seizures in zebrafish models by evaluating gene expressions and behavioral patterns as indicators of seizure incidence. Their brains are rather simple, but compared to traditional rodent models, researchers can still gather a lot of data in a shorter length of time and for less money. With less ethical issues, this is especially helpful for screening a large number of potential anti-seizure medications. Chemical inducers are becoming essential instruments for carefully adjusting brain activity in carefully monitored studies. Pilocarpine, picrotoxin (PTX), kainic acid (KA), pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), and other compounds are among the chosen chemical inducers. They primarily work by changing neurotransmitter receptors at inhibitory or excitatory synapses, including GABA and glutamate, which aids in epileptogenesis. To duplicate different kinds of seizures, including temporal lobe epilepsy and status epilepticus, and to investigate the effects of chemical inducers on zebrafish development, a number of parameters can be changed. Despite the abundance of substitutes, many chemical inducers are still neglected in zebrafish research. It becomes essential to track gene expression indicators like c-fos, which indicates neural activity, in order to guarantee the effective induction of models. A grading system is also used to determine the effectiveness of treatment and assess the severity of seizures. Clarifying seizure pathways requires the use of chemically produced zebrafish seizure models, which greatly enhance neurological research.