A Day in the Life of a Zebrafish: How Young Fish Navigate Home and Keep Balance
Official title: A day in the life of a larval zebrafish. Characterization and Modeling of Behavioral Dynamics and Interoceptive Homeostasis
Funded at Harvard University · NIH-11404103 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant supports studies on how larval zebrafish use their senses and body signals to navigate their environment and maintain internal balance, with insights that could inform human neuroscience and behavior.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | September 25, 2017 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $422,640 |
| NIH project number | 5U19NS104653-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11404103 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; study involves zebrafish and computational models of behavior.
✕Less likely to help
No direct clinical benefit to patients expected from the zebrafish-focused work.
What this research studies
Researchers at Harvard University are developing behavioral tests that mimic real-world challenges zebrafish face, like moving water, crowded environments, and hunting for prey, to understand how they make split-second decisions. The work analyzes how external cues and internal bodily signals interact to guide movement and survival. By modeling the animals’ behavior with advanced algorithms, the team aims to uncover the computational rules behind perception and action. The goal is to translate these findings into broader knowledge about how sensory processing and homeostasis operate in living beings, including humans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Findings could illuminate how brains integrate senses to control movement and stress responses in humans.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that zebrafish can reveal general principles of sensory integration and motor control applicable to human neuroscience.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard University
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fishman, Mark C — Harvard University
- Study coordinator: Fishman, Mark C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.