Neuroanatomy and circuit development

The developing zebrafish is rapidly becoming a leading vertebrate model for studies of circuit function and behaviour. An essential prerequisite for such studies is an understanding of the neuroanatomy of the brain. In collaboration with Jon Clarke's, lab in KCL, we have been developing an online, high-resolution atlas of the developing zebrafish brain. ZebrafishBrain aims to be a user-friendly and highly flexible resource for presenting information about the neuroanatomy of the developing zebrafish brain.

The embryonic zebrafish has outstanding optical properties that permit imaging of the entire intact brain at high resolution by confocal microscopy and neuron-targeted transgenes are excellent tools for resolving neuroanatomy.

To date we have imaged many beautiful transgenic lines. We are currently working with colleagues to morph this data onto standard neuroanatomical frameworks to make it more accessible to the community. Please visit ZebrafishBrain for more details.

Related publication summaries

Publication summaries

Unravelling the mysteries of brain diversity

Migration along the zebrafish lateral line: homeostasis bound

NEUROANATOMY AND CIRCUIT DEVELOPMENT PUBLICATIONS

Turner KJ, Hawkins TA, Henriques PM, Valdivia LE, Bianco IH, Wilson SW and Folgueira M
A Structural Atlas of the Developing Zebrafish Telencephalon Based on Spatially-Restricted Transgene Expression.
Front. Neuroanat. (2022) 16:840924. doi: 10.3389/fnana.2022.840924

Turner, K. J., Hawkins, T. A., Yáñez, J., Anadón, R., Wilson, S. W., & Folgueira, M (2016)
Afferent Connectivity of the Zebrafish Habenulae.
Front Neural Circuits. 2016 Apr 26;10:30. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2016.00030. eCollection 2016.

Turner KJ, Bracewell TG, Hawkins TA. (2014)
Anatomical dissection of zebrafish brain development.
Methods Mol Biol. 2014;1082:197-214. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-655-9_14.

Folgueira M, Bayley P, Navratilova P, Becker TS, Wilson SW, Clarke JD. (2012)
Morphogenesis underlying the development of the everted teleost telencephalon.
Neural Dev. 2012;7:32.

Concha ML, Bianco IH, Wilson SW. (2012)
Encoding asymmetry within neural circuits.
Nat Rev Neurosci. 2012 Dec;13(12):832-43.

Wilson,S.W.,Brennan,C.,Macdonald,R.,Brand,M.,Holder,N. (1997)
Analysis of axon tract formation in the zebrafish brain: the role of territories of gene expression and their boundaries.
Cell and Tissue Research 290:189-196

Wilson,S.W.,Easter,S.S.Jr. (1991)
A pioneering growth cone in the embryonic zebrafish brain
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.USA 88:2293-2296

Wilson,S.W.,Easter,S.S.Jr. (1991)
Stereotyped pathway selection by growth cones of early epiphysial neurons in the embryonic zebrafish.
Development 112:723-746

Wilson,S.W.,Ross,L.S.,Parrett,T.,Easter,S.S.Jr. (1990)
The development of a simple scaffold of axon tracts in the brain of the embryonic zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio.
Development 108:121-145