The zebrafish (Danio rerio) promises to meet the growing needs of gerontological and neurobehavioral research by possessing highly conserved anatomy and physiology with all other vertebrates, while having low maintenance costs and requiring only simple care. The neurological and physiological bases of learning, memory formation, and memory retention have been studied in a variety of model organisms, such as the rat, mouse, sheep, and several teleost fishes, the notable example being the zebrafish. Unfortunately, most of these animals are poorly suited to senescence research due to costs, care requirements, or long life spans. My research expands upon our rapidly growing understanding of zebrafish neurobiology, learning processes, sensory modalities, and memory retention. Two pairs of distinct aversive conditioning experiments using classic shuttlebox designs compared the effects of sensory modality and conditioned-unconditioned stimulus (CS-US) intervals, the time delay between application of conditioned sensory stimulus and delivery of the stressful unconditioned stimulus in the event of failure to avoid it, upon memory formation and retention. These studies yielded a general spectrum of results against which future conditioning studies may be compared. Both visual and olfactory stimuli were tested, as were 10 second and 15 second CS-US intervals. Successes were scored when the fish crossed the shuttlebox hurtle within the CS-US interval, thereby avoiding the negative unconditioned stimulus. After a three-month delay, ten additional trials were conducted to compare the long-term memory retention resulting from each protocol. When testing a 15s CS-US interval, olfactory conditioning was significantly more likely (39%) to produce a successful outcome (memory formation) than visual conditioning. Grouped results reveal that the second pair of experiments, each with a 10s CS-US interval, yielded significantly more successful memory formation than a 15s CS-US interval. A significant difference was found when comparing the results of any two experiments, except between the results of the visual and olfactory 10s interval experiments). Only the olfactory experiment using a 15s CS-US interval yielded memory retention results significantly higher than the mean of memory retention results from the four experiments. These findings offer inconclusive evidence supporting olfaction’s strong role in memory formation and retention in zebrafish. The results expand our understanding of the relationship between the olfactory and visual senses and memory in the zebrafish and indicate the olfactory sense’s key role in vertebrate neurobiology, warranting further research into the effects of aging on the olfactory-memory modality.

In fish, maternal stress prior to spawn has been reported to have effects on offspring phenotype. Cortisol, the main glucocorticoid (GC) stress hormone, has been proposed as a potential mediator of such effects because of its organizational role in early teleost development. The present thesis tested whether maternal social stress or treatment with cortisol (as a proxy for maternal stress) prior to spawn affects the cortisol response to stress and anxiety-related behaviours in offspring. In zebrafish (Danio rerio), offspring of dominant females exhibited greater boldness at 6 days post-fertilization (DPF). Interestingly, offspring of females that engaged in social interactions, regardless of the resulting social status of the two females, exhibited greater survival at 1 DPF, a greater fear-related decrease in activity in response to bright light at 6 DPF, and decreased baseline whole-body cortisol content at 0 and 30 DPF. A field experiment with wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) revealed that maternal cortisol treatment prior to spawn also affected offspring phenotype; offspring of cortisol-treated females had higher masses right after hatch, had greater fear responses, were less bold and less anxious, and exhibited an attenuated cortisol response to an acute stressor. Together, the results of the present thesis suggest that effects of maternal stress prior to spawn on offspring survival, growth, responses to stress, and anxiety-related behaviours are mediated, at least in part, by elevated maternal cortisol but not likely via increased deposition of maternal cortisol into eggs. The effects of maternal stress and cortisol treatment on offspring reported in the present thesis also suggest that maternal stress may prime offspring with adaptive traits to better survive in a stressful environment.

Meis transcription factors belong to the group of TALE (three amino acids loop extension) homeodomain proteins. Meis2 proteins have a potential role in regulation of neural crest cells development and in differentiation of their derivates. Zebrafish genome has two paralogues of meis2 gene, meis2a and meis2b. CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to prepare mutant lines of both paralogues, meis2a and meis2b, for the purpose of study of function of Meis2 transcription factors. Specific morpholinos that reduce the expression of meis2a and meis2b were used as controls. Craniofacial and cardiac development in mutant fish was analyzed in the meis2a line by RNA in situ hybridization, histological cartilage staining, and computed tomography. While we observed impaired craniofacial and cardiac development after injection of specific Morpholinos, we did not detect similar changes in the meis2a KO line. Our genetic approach has not clearly shown that the meis2a paralogue itself plays an important role in craniofacial development and cardiac development. For more detailed analysis, further experiments on fish lines with combined meis2a and meis2b knock-outs are needed. Key words Mutagenesis CRISPR, Danio rerio, neural crest cells, Meis2, transcription factor

Hematopoiesis is the process of proliferation, differentiation and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells. Regulation of hematopoiesis is a complex process, which takes place on many different levels and is directed by many signals. RNF207 is one of the perspective genes chosen based on a screen in chicken model, where obtained data show its role in hematopoiesis. The aim of this work was to confirm the role of rnf207b as a new regulator of hematopoiesis in Danio rerio and to find out on which level of hematopoiesis is active. Danio rerio is an excellent model to study the function of genes in vivo, thanks to the easy manipulation of genetic expression and wide range of phenotypes during the development. To study the effect of rnf207b in hematopoiesis of Danio rerio we performed the knock-down of this gene by microinjection of morpholino oligonucleotides into one cell stage embryos. In these injected fish, we saw the effect in both thrombocyte and erythroid lineage, suggesting that rnf207b could be a regulator at the hierarchical level of progenitors or even more upstream. The results of developmental and tissue specific expression analysis then show that expression of rnf207b begins as early as 18 hpf, at the time of primitive hematopoiesis. Although rnf207b is expressed in the kidney (an...

Hematopoiesis is a precisely regulated process, dependent on the activity of hematopoietic cytokines and their receptors. Due to an extra round of whole genome duplication in teleost fish, two paralogs of many important genes, including some hematopoietic cytokines and their receptors, are present in the zebrafish (Danio rerio) genome. In this project, we have been investigating the role of zebrafish Kit ligands in hematopoiesis. Kit ligand is a pleiotropic cytokine, which is essential for vertebrate erythropoiesis; however, in zebrafish, no such role has been reported so far. To determine the function of zebrafish paralogs of Kit ligand (Kitlga and Kitlgb) in hematopoiesis, we performed in vivo and ex vivo gain- and loss-of-function experiments. Strikingly, we were the first to report the synergistic cooperation of zebrafish Kitlga with erythropoietin and dexamethasone, enabling the growth of kidney marrow-derived suspension cells and providing optimal conditions for the expansion of adult erythroid progenitors. We assume that by using different cytokine combinations, optimal conditions for the growth of other hematopoietic cell types can be established, and therefore, this new approach now available for the...

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Cellular and molecular mechanisms of postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment were investigated in zebrafish (Danio rerio L.), a standard animal model for developmental and genetic studies. Distinct cellular mechanisms of postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment in fast and slow myotomal muscles were found. In slow muscle, three overlapping waves of stratified hyperplasia (SH) from distinct germinal zones sequentially contributed to a slow and steady increase in fibre number (FN) through the life span. In fast muscle, SH only contributed to an initial increase of FN in early larvae. Strikingly, mosaic hyperplasia (MH) appeared in late larvae and early juveniles and remained active until early adult stages, accounting for >70% of the final fibre number (FFN). The molecular regulation of postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment was then studied by characterising myospryn and cee, two strong candidate genes previously identified from a large scale screen for genes differentially expressed during the transition from hyperplastic to hypertrophic muscle phenotypes. Zebrafish myospryn contained very similar functional domains to its mammalian orthologues, which function to bind to other proteins known to regulate muscle dystrophy. Zebrafish myospryn also shared a highly conserved syntenic genomic neighbourhood with other vertebrate orthologues. As in mammals, zebrafish myospryn were specifically expressed in striated muscles. Zebrafish cee was a single-copy gene, highly conserved among metazoans, ubiquitously expressed across tissues, and did not form part of any wider gene family. Its protein encompassed a single conserved domain (DUF410) of unknown function although knock-down of cee in C. elegans and yeast have suggested a role in regulating growth patterns. Both myospyrn and cee transcripts were up-regulated concomitant with the cessation of postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment in zebrafish, indicating a potential role in regulating muscle growth. Furthermore, a genome-wide screen of genes involved in the regulation of postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment was performed using microarray. 85 genes were found to be consistently and differentially expressed between growth stages where muscle hyperplasia was active or inactive, including genes associated with muscle contraction, metabolism, and immunity. Further bioinformatic annotation indicated these genes comprised a complex transcriptional network with molecular functions, including catalytic activity and protein binding as well as pathways associated with metabolism, tight junctions, and human diseases. Finally, developmental plasticity of postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment to embryonic temperature was characterised. It involved transient effects including the relative timing and contribution of SH and MH, plus the rate and duration of fibre production, as well as a persistent alteration to FFN. Further investigation of FFN of fish over a broader range of embryonic temperature treatments (22, 26, 28, 31, 35°C) indicated that 26°C produced the highest FFN that was approximately 17% greater than at other temperatures. This finding implies the existence of an optimal embryonic temperature range for maximising FFN across a reaction norm. Additionally, a small but significant effect of parental temperature on FFN (up to 6% greater at 24 and 26°C than at 31°C) was evident, suggesting some parental mechanisms can affect muscle fibre recruitment patterns of progeny. This work provides a comprehensive investigation of mechanisms underlying postembryonic muscle fibre recruitment and demonstrates the power of zebrafish as an ideal teleost model for addressing mechanistic and practical aspects of postembryonic muscle recruitment, especially the presence of all major phases of muscle fibre production in larger commercially important teleost species.

Submitted by Andreza Leão (andrezaflh@gmail.com) on 2018-08-08T17:51:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_ValidacaoFamacologicaEsquiva.pdf: 1022849 bytes, checksum: 36438bca0570b50b2e2b23a230037656 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Celia Santana (celiasantana@ufpa.br) on 2018-12-12T17:51:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_ValidacaoFamacologicaEsquiva.pdf: 1022849 bytes, checksum: 36438bca0570b50b2e2b23a230037656 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-12T17:51:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_ValidacaoFamacologicaEsquiva.pdf: 1022849 bytes, checksum: 36438bca0570b50b2e2b23a230037656 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-12 / O Danio rerio é uma espécie de peixe muito utilizada em modelos de ansiedade devido ao fato que seu comportamento, anatomia, neuroanatomia e bioquímica estarem bem descritos na literatura. O Teste de esquiva inibitória é um modelo de ansiedade ainda em desenvolvimento para esta espécie, o qual consiste na supressão de um comportamento exploratório com a finalidade de evitação de um estímulo aversivo. Este experimento realizou o teste do lado claro como aversivo e a validação farmacológica da esquiva inibitória utilizando as seguintes drogas: antidepressivos – fluoxetina (5, 10 e 20 mg/kg) e imipramina (4, 8 e 16 mg/kg); ansiolíticos – diazepam (0,06, 1,25 e 2,5 mg/kg) e clonazepam (0,02, 0,05 e 1,10 mg/kg); e estimulantes – dietilpropiona (2,5, 5 e 10 mg/kg) e cafeína (10, 20 e 40 mg/kg). Os resultados confirmam a aversividade do lado claro no teste de esquiva inibitória. A fluoxetina, imipramina, cafeína e dietilpropina possuem efeito ansiogênico, assim impedindo a aquisição da esquiva inibitória, com exceção da imipramina 8 mg/kg que facilitou a esquiva. O diazepam também facilitou a aquisição da esquiva, enquanto que o clonazepam, embora não tenha alterado a aquisição da esquiva, apresenta efeito ansiolítico. Conclui-se que o teste de esquiva inibitória em Danio rerio é um efetivo modelo para o estudo da ansiedade. / The Danio rerio is a fish species widely used in emerging models of anxiety due to well described behavior, anatomy, neuroanatomy and biochemistry. The inhibitory avoidance test is an anxiety-related parameters in the model development that described a suppressed behavior emitted to avoid an aversive stimulus. This experiment aimed to describe the inhibitory avoidance averssiveness of white side and the pharmacological validation of this test by using the following drugs: antidepressants - fluoxetine (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) and imipramine (4, 8 and 16 mg/kg), anxiolytics - diazepam (0.06, 1.25 and 2 , 5 mg/kg) and clonazepam (0.02, 0.05 and 1.10 mg/kg), and stimulants - diethylpropion (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg) and caffeine (10, 20 and 40 mg/kg). The data confirm the aversiveness of the white side in inhibitory avoidance test. Flouxetine, imipramine, caffeine and dietilpropione have anxiogenic-like effect and imapaired inhibitory avoidance, excluding imipramine 8 mg/kg who facilitates its acquisition. Diazepam also facilitates inhibitory avoidance acquisition and clonazepam show anxiolytic-like effect on this test. These data show the effectiveness of inhibitory avoidance test as a model to study axiety.

Submitted by JACIARA CRISTINA ALMEIDA DO AMARAL (jaciaramaral@ufpa.br) on 2018-09-19T17:12:02Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertação_versão_final_abstract.pdf: 1425516 bytes, checksum: b01d9b3b8d0c8f847bc74f73d1c54b31 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by JACIARA CRISTINA ALMEIDA DO AMARAL (jaciaramaral@ufpa.br) on 2018-09-19T17:14:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertação_versão_final_abstract.pdf: 1425516 bytes, checksum: b01d9b3b8d0c8f847bc74f73d1c54b31 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-19T17:14:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Dissertação_versão_final_abstract.pdf: 1425516 bytes, checksum: b01d9b3b8d0c8f847bc74f73d1c54b31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-13 / CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / O comportamento tipo ansiedade pode ser definido como um estado de apreensão, onde o perigo é iminente, podendo ocorrer a partir da exposição a ambientes novos ou a estímulos aversivos incontroláveis. Muitos sistemas de neurotransmissão podem estar envolvidos na modulação dos estados de ansiedade em mamíferos assim como em teleóteos. Dentre estes, os sistemas GABAérgico e glutamatérgico, apresentam-se como as principais vias de modulação do comportamento tipo ansiedade. Assim, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar os níveis extracelulares de GABA e glutamato ao longo do processo de geração da ansiedade nos testes de Preferência Claro/Escuro (PCE) e Distribuição Vertical Eliciada pela Novidade (DVN) em Danio rerio. Foram utilizados 60 animais da espécie Danio rerio (selvagem, longfinn), os quais foram expostos aos Testes PCE e DVN nos tempos 5, 10 e 15 min. Os parâmetros analisados para o PCE foram: tempo no compartimento claro, número de quadrantes cruzados no compartimento claro e cruzamentos entre os compartimentos; para o DVN, os parâmetros foram: Tempo na região superior do aquário, número de quadrantes cruzados, entradas no topo, velocidade máxima, velocidade média e Distância total percorrida. Em seguida, os cérebros foram dissecados e incubados com Hank/Na+ para quantificação de GABA e Glutamato por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficácia (CLAE). Todos os testes foram filmados e os vídeos avaliados utilizando o software Zebtrack. Foi aplicado o teste ANOVA de uma via com pós-teste Tukey, considerando significativos valores com p<0,05. Os dados foram expressos em média ± erro padrão e todos os experimentos foram previamente aprovados pelo comitê de ética local (CEPAE UFPA 213-14). Nossos resultados demonstram exploração do compartimento claro no teste PCE, sem diferença entre os tempos (F[3, 20]= 17.10) e sem alteração entre número de cruzamentos entre os minutos 5, e 10 (F[3, 20]= 6.28; p<0.05). Há aumento do número de cruzamento entre os quadrantes no tempo de 15 minutos em relação aos demais tempos de exploração (F[3, 20]= 6.28; p<0.05). Além disso, há aumento de conteúdo extracelular de glutamato no decorrer do teste (F [4, 10] = 8.98) e diminuição de GABA nos últimos minutos em comparação aos animais não expostos ao teste (F [4, 9] = 20.83; p<0.05). Os padrões comportamentais dos animais expostos ao teste DVN também variam de acordo com o tempo de exposição, onde, conforme há aumento do tempo, há aumento do tempo de exploração do topo (F[3, 28]= 15.99; p<0.01), aumento do número de transições para o topo (F[3, 22]= 16.86 p<0.05), aumento do número de quadrantes cruzados (F[3, 21]= 38.70; p<0.01), aumento da distância total percorrida (F[3, 27]= 61.44; p<0.01), sem alteração das velocidades máximas (F[3, 28]= 19.73; p<0.01) e média em todos os tempos. Os níveis de glutamato aumentam na exposição ao teste (F [4, 10] = 24.62) e os níveis de GABA permanecem inalterados (F [4, 9] = 1.76). Concluímos, assim, que os sistemas glutamatérgicos e gabaérgicos modulam de maneira diferente o comportamento tipo ansiedade em Danio rerio. / Anxiety-like behavior can be defined as a state of apprehension where the danger is imminent and may occur from exposure to new environments or uncontrollable aversive stimuli. Many neurotransmission systems may be involved in the modulation of anxiety states in mammals as well as in teleosts. Among these, the GABAergic and glutamatergic systems are the main modulation pathways of anxiety-like behavior. Therefore, the present work aims to evaluate the extracellular levels of GABA and glutamate throughout the process of anxiety generation in Danio rerio exposed in Dark/light Preference (DLP) and Novel Tank (NT) tests. Sixty animals (Danio rerio, (wild type, longfinn) were used, which were exposed to DLP and NT at times 5, 10 and 15 minutes. The parameters analyzed for DLP were: time in the white compartment, number of quadrants crossed in the white compartment and transitions between compartments; for the NT, the parameters were: Time in the upper half, number of squares crossed, entrances at the top, maximum speed, average speed and total distance traveled. Then, the brains were dissected and incubated with Hank/Na+ for further quantification of GABA and Glutamate by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). All tests were filmed and videos evaluated using Zebtrack software. One-way ANOVA test with Tukey post-test was applied, considering significant values p<0.05. Data were expressed as mean ± standard error mean and all experiments were previously approved by the local ethics committee (CEPAE UFPA 213-14). Our results demonstrate exploration of the white compartment in the LDT test, with no difference between the times (F [3, 20] = 17.10) and no change in the number of midleline crossings between the compartments between minutes 5 and 10 (F [3,20] = 6.28, p <0.05). There was an increase in the number of squares crossed in the time of 15 minutes in relation to the other exploration times (F [3, 20] = 13.04, p <0.03).In addition, there was an increase in extracellular glutamate content during the test (F [4, 10] = 8.98) and decrease of GABA in the last minutes compared to animals not exposed to the test (F [4,9] = 20,83; <0.05). The behavioral patterns of the animals exposed to the NT test also vary according to the time of exposure, where, as time increases, there is an increase in the time of the top exploration (F [3, 28] = 15.99, p <0.01), (F [3, 22] = 16.86 p <0.05), increase in the number of squares crossed (F [3, 21] = 38.70, p <0.01), increase in the total distance traveled [3, 27] = 61.44, p <0.01), with no change in maximum speed (F [3, 28] = 19.73, p <0.01) and mean speed at all times. Glutamate levels increase on exposure to the test (F [4, 10] = 24.62) and GABA levels remain unchanged (F [4,9] = 1.76). We conclude, therefore, that glutamatergic and gabaergic systems modulate the anxiety-like behavior in Danio rerio differently.

Submitted by Andreza Leão (andrezaflh@gmail.com) on 2018-09-11T17:08:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_DesamparoAprendidoZebrafish.pdf: 1298867 bytes, checksum: 346722cdaba63e27b71acc96438f38f1 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Celia Santana (celiasantana@ufpa.br) on 2018-12-12T18:03:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_DesamparoAprendidoZebrafish.pdf: 1298867 bytes, checksum: 346722cdaba63e27b71acc96438f38f1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-12T18:03:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_DesamparoAprendidoZebrafish.pdf: 1298867 bytes, checksum: 346722cdaba63e27b71acc96438f38f1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-23 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Exposição a eventos aversivos incontroláveis gera dificuldade de aprendizagem para relações de contingência, fuga e/ou esquiva. Tal fenômeno foi denominado de desamparo aprendido e tem sido relacionado à depressão e transtorno de estresse póstraumático. Este trabalho é composto de três estudos com os objetivos de: produzir desamparo aprendido em Danio rerio (Estudo I), investigar os efeitos da luz sobre o teste de fuga (Estudo II) e avaliar os efeitos da imipramina administrada em regime agudo sobre o desamparo aprendido em Danio rerio (Estudo III). Em todos os experimentos foi utilizada uma shuttlebox de acrílico (INSIGHT Equipamentos), que continham uma área central (removível) que permitia o isolamento dos sujeitos. O protocolo geral consistiu de duas fases: 1) Tratamento, onde cada peixe do tratamento choque incontrolável (CHI) foi submetido a 60 choques aleatórios e incontroláveis (0.7- 0.9 V, com duração de 30 segundos), nesta fase os sujeitos do grupo que não receberam tratamento com choque elétrico (NCH) apenas permaneceram na área central por 60 minutos; e 2) Teste, onde cada sujeito, indiferente do tratamento recebido, foi submetido a uma sessão de fuga com 30 choques (0.7 a 0.9V, duração máxima de 30 segundos). No estudo I, foram utilizados 3 grupos, um experimental (GE-CHI) e dois controles, um permanecendo no aquário experimental por 60 minutos sem choque (GCNCH) e outro que permaneceu no aquário viveiro durante a fase I (GF-NCH). No estudo II foram utilizados 4 grupos, um par de NCH e CHI submetidos ao teste com luz, outro par (NCH e CHI) que realizaram o teste na condição sem luz. Já no estudo III foram utilizados 6 grupos de acordo com a concentração de imipramina administrada por 10 minutos, antes da sessão teste: 0,0 mg/l NCH; 0,0 mg/CHI; 1,0 mg/l NCH; 1,0 mg/l CHI; 2,0 mg/l NCH; e 2,0 mg/l CHI. Os principais resultados mostraram que é possível gerar desamparo aprendido em Danio rerio (estudo I), sendo que a luz é uma variável que pode interferir diretamente na aquisição do fenômeno (estudo II) e a imipramina aguda, nas doses aqui administradas não reverteram o desamparo aprendido em Danio rerio. / Exposure to uncontrollable aversive events leads to difficulty in learning contingency relations, escape and/or avoidance. Such phenomenon was named learned helplessness and it has been correlated to depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. This thesis is composed by three studies that together have the aim of: producing learned helplessness in Danio rerio (Study I); investigating the effects of light on the escape test (Study II) and evaluating the effects imipramine have on learned helplessness when applied acutely in Danio rerio (Study III). In every experiment it was used an acrylic shutllebox (INSIGHT equipment) which contained a central area (removable) that enabled the isolation of the subjects. The general protocol consisted in two phases: 1) Treatment, each subject of the Uncontrollable shock (USH) treatment was subjected to 60 random and uncontrollable shocks (0.7 – 0.9V, lasting 30 seconds each), in this phase the subjects of the group that didn't receive treatment with electric shock (NSH) only remained in the central area for 60 minutes; and 2) Test, each subject from both groups was subjected to an escape session with 30 shocks (0.7 – 0.9V, maximum duration of 30 seconds each). In Study I, 3 groups were used, one experimental (EGUSH) and two controls, one remaining in the experimental aquarium for 60 minutes without shock (CG-NSH). In Study II, 4 groups were used, a pair from NSH and USH subjected to the light test, another pair (NSH and USH) underwent the test no light condition. In Study III 6 groups were used according to the concentration of imipramine administered during 10 minutes before the test session: 0.0 mg/l NCH; 0.0 mg/CHI; 1.0 mg/l NCH; 1.0 mg/l CHI; 2.0 mg/l NCH; e 2.0 mg/l CHI. The main results show that it is possible to create learned helplessness in Danio rerio (study I), considering light as a variable that can interfere directly in the acquisition of the phenomenon (study II), in addition, it was showed that acute imipramine in the doses administered here did not revert the learned helplessness in Danio rerio.