AUTHOR=Köcher Laura , Straumann Dominik 

TITLE=Habituation learning: insights from zebrafish larvae

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience

VOLUME=Volume 18 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2025.1697688

DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2025.1697688

ISSN=1662-5099

ABSTRACT=Habituation is evolutionary conserved and often considered as one of the simplest forms of learning, however, the underlying mechanisms are highly complex. Extensive research has been conducted over the last few decades to understand the mechanisms of habituation in vertebrate and invertebrate species. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) has emerged as a crucial model for exploring the underlying mechanisms of habituation. Due to the possibility for genetic manipulations and non-invasive visualization of neuronal activity across the entire larval brain and genetically encoded fluorescent sensors allowing the detection of different neurotransmitters linked to behavioral processes, larval zebrafish provides a great vertebrate model to investigate habituation learning. In our review, we summarize recent insights into habituation learning as well as habituation deficits under neuropathological conditions gained from zebrafish larvae.