ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neural Technology
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1593930
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Technology and Engineering Tools for Neuroscience Research in Animal ModelsView all 4 articles
Zebrafish Larva Interface: an accessible, modular platform for Danio Rerio experiments
Provisionally accepted
- University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, United States
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The optokinetic response (OKR) in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a well-characterized visuomotor reflex used to investigate sensorimotor integration. Building on prior work, we introduce the Zebrafish Larvae Interface (ZLI) platform, a modular and accessible framework that enables closedloop neuro-robotic experiments. We investigated how larval OKR behavior can translate to dynamic motion control of a wheeled robot. The platform incorporates an agarose stamping methodology to head-fix a larva while preserving full ocular mobility and visual access. Eye movements are recorded in real time using either a low-cost webcam or a microscope camera and processed through opensource computer vision software, which extracts eye angles via ellipse fitting. These measurements are translated into movement commands for a robot navigating a line-following task. The robot's positional deviation is simultaneously converted into dynamic OKR-compatible visual stimuli displayed on an LCD screen beneath the larva, thus completing the sensorimotor loop. We demonstrate that the ZLI system enables larvae to robustly correct robot trajectories after substantial initial misalignment. By emphasizing modularity, affordability, and replicability, the ZLI system aims to democratize access to closed-loop behavioral research and promote widespread adoption in both educational and experimental neuroscience environments.
Keywords: Zebrafish larvae, danio rerio, optokinetic response (OKR), biomachine, Closed loop system, open-source, Machine interface
Received: 14 Mar 2025; Accepted: 02 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Jutoy, Mehrabi and Jung. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Erica E. Jung, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, United States
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