INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF ASTROGLIA IN ZEBRAFISH SEIZURE MODELS USING OPTICAL IMAGING AND BEHAVIORAL ASSAYS

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate spontaneous seizures, resulting from a critical imbalance between neuronal excitation and inhibition. To investigate the fundamental mechanisms of seizure generation and discover novel therapies, researchers are increasingly turning to zebrafish as a robust model for neural excitability. The zebrafish's rapid development and transparent larvae make it an ideal system for large-scale neurological study. This study establishes a pharmacological seizure model specifically optimized for high-throughput behavioral assays and functional brain imaging. By applying distinct stimuli during seizure induction, we demonstrated that both spontaneous and evoked actions exhibit significant disruptions in locomotor patterns and spatial navigation. To resolve the underlying pathology, we employed mosaic labeling to investigate neuron-astrocyte interactions. This approach allows for high-resolution visualization of how individual astrocytes modulate synaptic excitability and seizure propagation. Currently, we are evaluating how various anti-epileptic drug treatments modulate these complex cellular dynamics and behavioral profiles. By integrating single-cell resolution with behavioral data, this work highlights the zebrafish as a powerful model for identifying glial targets in the pursuit of more effective and precise epilepsy interventions.