Zebrafish predict the future to avoid virtual danger

Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science (CBS) and collaborators in Japan have discovered particular neurons in the brain that monitor whether predictions made by fish actually come true. By making use of a new virtual-reality-outfitted aquarium where brain imaging of zebrafish can be done as the fish learn and navigate through virtual reality cues, researchers found neurons that allow efficient risk avoidance and create a "hazard map" in the brain that allows for escape to safety. The study was published in Nature Communications on September 29.