Johnson, AndreaLoh, EricaSlessor, JordanVerbitsky, RyanFranczak, Brian C.Schalomon, MelikeHamilton, Trevor2023-06-152023-06-152023Johnson, A., Loh, E., Verbitsky, R. et al. Examining behavioural test sensitivity and locomotor proxies of anxiety-like behaviour in zebrafish. Sci Rep 13, 3768 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29668-9https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/3136This study assessed the sensitivity of four anxiety-like behaviour paradigms in zebrafish: the novel tank dive test, shoaling test, light/dark test, and the less common shoal with novel object test. A second goal was to measure the extent to which the main effect measures are related to locomotor behaviours to determine whether swimming velocity and freezing (immobility) are indicative of anxiety-like behaviour. Using the well-established anxiolytic, chlordiazepoxide, we found the novel tank dive to be most sensitive followed by the shoaling test. The light/dark test and shoaling plus novel object test were the least sensitive. A principal component analysis and a correlational analysis also showed the locomotor variables, velocity and immobility, did not predict the anxiety-like behaviours across all behaviour tests.enAttribution (CC BY)zebrafishbehavioral neuroscienceanxietyArticlehttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-29668-9