The utility of zebrafish as a model for behavioural genetics

•Genetic tools and mutant lines make zebrafish ideal to study behaviour.•Larval zebrafish can be used to define the neural circuits that control behaviour.•Adult zebrafish can be used to study complex social behaviour.

Recent advances in genetic and imaging techniques have established the zebrafish as an excellent model to study behaviour. Their short development time, compact size and ease of imaging deep within the brain have allowed the neural circuits that control behaviour to be mapped. Increasingly sophisticated optogenetic tools and virtual world setups allow larval fish to be manipulated and monitored in real time [1,2••,3,4,5]. Adult zebrafish are also emerging as a powerful model for behaviours including aggression, anxiety, learning, memory and shoaling [6,7,8••,9•]. In this review we will highlight recent studies in which zebrafish have contributed to our understanding of behavioural genetics.