Startle, pre-pulse sensitization, and habituation in zebrafish

•A Rodent Video Freeze™ motion-capture system has been modified to measure adult zebra fish behavior.•This method allows for the synchronization of startle-stimulus delivery with motion-data capture.•The duration of the startle response in adult zebrafish is characterized, as is the response to pre-pulse delivery.•Data show that repeated presentation of the acoustic-startle stimulus results in habituation of the startle response. The startle response, pre-pulse presentation of startle, and habituation in adult zebrafish (danio rerio) have not been formerly characterized using the same motion detection equipment within an integrated procedure. The methods presented in this manuscript describe the use of a video tracking software used previously in the detection of conditioned immobility in rodents, but adapted for the purposes of tracking zebrafish movement. The results from a series of investigations demonstrate an effective tracking and quantification of the startle response, as well as evidence that stimulus-experience history alters the startle response in adult zebrafish. This method of tracking zebrafish allows for the quantification on movement of a single subject, and the delivery of the startle stimulus can be synchronized with the motion-detection software to obtain a high temporal resolution that is not provided by other means of motion-detection tracking. Objective techniques for evaluating these basic modifications of the startle response (pre-pulse and habituation) may be helpful in future behavioral analysis as this species is rapidly becoming among the most commonly utilized in preclinical pharmacological assessment.