Maya Wilde presents Neural activity underlying auditory processing in zebrafish models of autism

Larval zebrafish are a powerful tool for understanding brain-wide
processing at cellular resolution. They are readily genetically manipulated,
and have recently been shown to have more advanced auditory
responsiveness than previously suspected. They therefore show promise for
shedding light on developmental differences in sensory networks in
conditions like autism. I will present my PhD research into developing tests
of auditory function for larval zebrafish, and using these tests to understand
differences in auditory processing in animals with mutations in genes
associated with autism. This involved using a custom light-sheet microscope
for whole-brain imaging of fluorescent calcium activity with cellular
resolution. While animals with genetic mutations all show behavioural
responses aligned with hypersensitivity to sound, the underlying brain
activity is different between different autism-associated genes.

Maya is a new postdoctoral researcher in the AID group. She previously
conducted
her research at the University of Queensland in Australia.