Fish also need friends

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-03/igdc-fan032917.php

Public Release: 31-Mar-2017
Fish also need friends
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia

According to a new study led by Rui Oliveira, researcher at ISPA - Instituto Universitário, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, and Fundação Champalimaud, zebrafish need social support to overcome adverse circumstances and may, therefore, become a model of choice for studying this behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms.

The discoveries of this study, published in Scientific Reports, open new avenues for understanding this social behavior, crucial for human well-being and of great relevance in certain diseases such as depression or generalized anxiety.

The support that each individual receives from those around him/her influences his/her behavior and can help the individual to surpass setbacks. Besides humans, other social animals are able to better recover from an adverse situation in the presence of their peers.

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