Abstract

ADVANCES IN ALZHEIMERS DISEASE RESEARCH USING ZEBRAFISH

Srilatha Choudhary*, Aparna Peri and Dr. M. Ravi Kumar

ABSTRACT

The Zebra fish is a novel promising animal model for studying wide variety of human diseases including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The major cause of dementia in people is due to AD. Therefore we have to know the underlying mechanisms to cure AD in humans. Using Zebra fish we can know the causes of AD by studying central nervous system (CNS) investigation. It is having more advantages when compared to that of other animal models as it is economically and easily available. Large-scale genetic screens have identified hundreds of mutant phenotypes, many of which resemble human clinical disorders. All the developmental stages of Zebra fish is readily accessible due to the optical clarity of the embryos and larvae. Zebra fish is helpful in studying biology, physiology and human disease. Due the transparency of embryos all life cycle processes can be identified by microscopic imaging. By this normal and diseased cells can be identified easily which is not possible with all other animal models. Zebra fish is well known for its regenerative capacity. The present review mainly focuses on functioning of its brain and its use in study of Alzheimer’s disease for the better characterization of the causes underlying AD.

Keywords: Zebra fish, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, mutant phenotypes, optical clarity, genetic screens.