Quantifying function in the early embryonic heart.

Congenital heart defects arise during the early stages of development, and studies have linked abnormal blood flow and irregular cardiac function to improper cardiac morphogenesis. The embryonic zebrafish offers superb optical access for live imaging of heart development. Here, we build upon previously used techniques to develop a methodology for quantifying cardiac function in the embryonic zebrafish model. Imaging was performed using bright field microscopy at 1500 frames/s at 0.76 μm/pixel. Heart function was manipulated in a wild-type zebrafish at ∼55 h post fertilization (hpf). Blood velocity and luminal diameter were measured at the atrial inlet and atrioventricular junction (AVJ) by analyzing spatiotemporal plots. Control volume analysis was used to estimate the flow rate waveform, retrograde fractions, stroke volume, and cardiac output. The diameter and flow waveforms at the inlet and AVJ are highly repeatable between heart beats. We have developed a methodology for quantifying overall heart function, which can be applied to early stages of zebrafish development.