A study published on November 1st in the open access journal PLOS Biology shows that micro organisms are essential for normal social development in zebrafish.
Researchers have a rare chance to see neural development in zebrafish. In a series of experiments, the researchers looked at the development of the zebrafish's brain and nervous system during the first seven days of development.
They found that social behavior was affected by the absence ofMicrobes at day 14. Compared to siblings with a normal microbiota, the brains of these germ-free larvae had fewer immune cells in their forebrains. The microglia had lower levels of complement c1q, a gene involved in pruning neural connections. The results were similar, with increased neural density and branching. Normal neural and social development was restored in germ-free larvae by adding any of several different bacterial groups native to the zebrafish intestine.
The study shows for the first time that an intact microbiota is necessary for normal fish and social behavior. The authors say that the results show that there is a critical window during the first week of development in which the microbiota stimulates the forebrain.
Eisen says that social interactions are important for animals and humans.
Microbiome promotes social behavior by changing the function of forebrain cells. There is a journal called "pbio.3001838."
Journal information: PLoS Biology
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