Un-Raible Lab

University of Washington

Department of Biological Structure

Big Questions... part 2

Neurons of the Peripheral Nervous System

The fallowing movie is of the "Pre-otic cranial nerves", located in the area marked above. This movie is complex but that is a testament to zebrafish as a model system because even though this fish is only 5 days post fertilization (120 hours old) they have a complete nervous system and are ready to interact with the world.

Two main sensory systems that zebrafish use to interact with their environment are shown here. Zebrafish are very visually oriented and their large eye is easily seen here (in this side view of the fishes head) and in the fallowing movie. The second (marked in yellow) are the nerumasts. These structures have neuromasts ( containing hair cells, similar to those found in the human ear) wired up to a neural network. The two green arrows show the two neuromasts that you will see at the beginning of the movie. As the movie moves deeper you will see the other neuralmasts (they are located on the surface of the fishes skin so the flat plain of view will not show them all at once). The movie shows the area marked in the red square.

Click here to view the Pre-otic Cranial N erves

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