TRP channel mediated neuronal activation and ablation in freely behaving zebrafish.

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a useful vertebrate model system in which to study neural circuits and behavior, but tools to modulate neurons in freely behaving animals are limited. As poikilotherms that live in water, zebrafish are amenable to thermal and pharmacological perturbations. We exploit these properties by using transient receptor potential (TRP) channels to activate or ablate specific neuronal populations using the chemical and thermal agonists of heterologously expressed TRPV1, TRPM8 and TRPA1.