Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying different states of consciousness and the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans presents major challenges in neuroscience. Mild TBIs often produce symptoms without detectable neuropathology in standard neuroimaging, while severe injuries linked to disorders of consciousness lack effective therapeutic strategies due to limited mechanistic insight and ethical constraints in clinical trials. To address these gaps, we are developing a novel research model using zebrafish to explore changes in brain dynamics during different states of consciousness. By using light-sheet microscopy to record whole-brain neuronal activity in zebrafish larvae while applying anesthesia, we emulate changes in consciousness and compare brain dynamics with global brain patterns observed in humans. Preliminary results suggest that awake zebrafish exhibit brain signatures analogous to those found in awake primates. The next step involves building a system to precisely control anesthesia levels and study transitions in brain states. Inspired by findings in humans and non-human primates where thalamic stimulation alters neural network dynamics, we are developing transgenic zebrafish lines expressing UAS-opsins targeted to the thalamus. This enables optogenetic activation or silencing of thalamic regions to assess recovery of brain patterns. This ambitious project opens new avenues to decode the neural basis of consciousness.