Scientists say fish will respond in similar way to drugs as humans
Researchers from the University of Leicester are studying zebrafish as part of an international project to develop treatment for human aggression.
The university's department of biology, will investigate pathological aggression in the fish to understand how genes in the brain function.
They will also use juvenile fish to develop new ways of treating aggression.
Dr Will Norton from the University of Leicester is leading the study.
"We live in an increasingly violent society and we don’t know why.
"Aggression is an extremely complex behaviour which is becoming a big societal problem. There are currently very few drugs available to treat aggression and there are often side-effects for those that exist.
“This is a really ambitious project, but I am hopeful that by looking at the areas of the brain and genes linked to this type of behaviour, we will develop a better understanding of aggression and how it responds to existing treatments.
"We will be using both adult and juvenile zebrafish since they are genetic model organisms which may respond in a similar way to drugs as humans.”
The study forms part of a wider project involving 23 research groups across Europe and the USA.
The five-year EU-funded project will study the biological underpinnings of aggression to develop much-needed treatment strategies.
Dr Norton said: “I’m really excited about the opportunity to collaborate with a wide variety of influential scientists from across the globe as part of this research.
"Not enough is known about aggression and this is an area of interest which definitely needs more focus.
"The end goal for my individual project will be to develop new drugs effective at controlling aggression to increase the treatment options for patients.”
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