Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo-larvae locomotor activity data analysis: Evaluating anxiolytic effects of the antidepressant compound citalopram

Newly fertilized zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to increasing concentrations of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram from fertilization until six days post-fertilization (dpf). Locomotor activity data were acquired at six dpf using an automated ZebraBox® infrared tracking system. Individual (n = 32) locomotor activity was recorded during 75 minutes in total during alternating illumination conditions (0% light, i.e. dark periods, and 100% light, i.e. light periods). The first 15 minutes of the test consisted of a dark period, i.e an acclimatization phase. Afterward, six alternating light and dark periods were conducted. Individual zebrafish embryo-larvae locomotion was tracked and aggregated in ten-second bins. The dataset, containing nine locomotor-related quantified endpoints (factors), was parsed, analyzed, and visualized using R software. The dataset and its associated custom R script may be used to further explore locomotor activity outcomes (e.g. anxiolytic or anxiogenic properties) following exposure to citalopram or other neuroactive chemicals.