Microfluidic chip platform provides non-invasive method for zebrafish behavioral studies

Members of the minnow family, zebrafish possess many characteristics that make them model organisms for studying vertebrate development, enabling valuable behavioral screening in disease modeling and drug discovery. However, experimenting with full-grown organisms is constrained by low throughput and behavior variability, so zebrafish larvae have been advantageously integrated into microfluidic platforms that replicate natural habitat conditions in the lab.

Sharma et al. demonstrated a new analytical method to study memory training efficacy in zebrafish by means of an integrated microfluidic platform on a tiny chip. Specifically, the study focused on memory through repeated training, with and without sound stimuli, to document the temporary behavioral patterns in the zebrafish larvae’s responses.

“By closely tracking learning responses, we gained deeper insights into the early stages of progressive learning and the corresponding behavior patterns in zebrafish,” said author Chia-Yuan Chen.

The study employed a micro-scale behavioral assay that enables precise tracking of learning and memory responses. Using a structured lab-on-a-chip design allowed the researchers to conduct tests in both sequential and parallel manners, along with possible drug treatment alternatives for the tested zebrafish.

“The method is non-invasive, robust, and highly scalable, making it a perfect tool for studying cognitive functions in early developmental stages,” said Chen. “Its simplicity and adaptability features facilitate high-throughput behavioral screening.”

The researchers believe their methodology may help the exploration of stimulus-induced learning and the subsequent development of adaptive behavior patterns, forming a potential foundation to study the cognitive dynamics of vertebrates during early development. Its integration of sensory cues, real-time tracking, and environmental control makes it broadly applicable to developmental neuroscience, behavioral pharmacology, and microfluidic-based cognitive modeling.

Source: “Cognitive dynamics of drug-mediated zebrafish under sound stimuli in a microfluidic environment,” by Prashant Kishor Sharma, Dineshkumar Loganathan, Ming-Lung Chen, Yueh-Hsun Lu, Pu-Hsiang Wang, and Chia-Yuan Chen, Biomicrofluidics (2025). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0270298 .