Original Article October 22, 2025 October 22, 2025

Impact of enriched environment on retinal thickness in zebrafish exposed to valproic acid

DOI: 10.37039/1982.8551.20250074

ABSTRACT

Objective:

Embryonic exposure to valproic acid is a widely used model for the study of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders. In zebrafish, early exposure to valproic acid results in the major behavioral, neurological, and genetic phenotypes of this disorder. Autism spectrum disorders have several associated symptoms, such as changes in sensory processing, sleep problems, and hyper- or hyposensitivity to light. This work investigates the hypothesis of changes at the retinal level due to embryonic exposure to valproic acid in zebrafish. In addition, the possible effects of non-pharmacological treatment with enriched environment are investigated.

Methods:

Morphometric evaluations of the retina were performed using histological techniques to investigate possible changes in this key structure of the visual system.

Results:

Our results show that animals exposed to valproic acid during embryogenesis exhibit changes in the thickness of the different layers of the retina in adulthood.

Conclusions:

These results emphasize the teratogenic effect of valproic acid and suggest that retinal alterations may be related to changes in visual processing in autism spectrum disorders-valproic acid models.