Automated experimental system capturing three behavioral components during murine forced swim test

Shimamura, Midori; Kuratani, Kazuyoshi; Kinoshita, Mine; Hara, Hideaki

doi:10.1016/j.lfs.2010.12.016

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…3A,E) also showed no difference between groups. Furthermore, the duration of climbing behavior and diving events during forced swimming, which were shown to be sensitive to some types of antidepressant treatment (Hayashi et al, 2011), did not differ between the two groups (Fig. 3B,C).…”

Section: Eighteen-month-old Mice Display No Behavioral Signs Of Affecmentioning

confidence: 88%

Anhedonic-like traits and lack of affective deficits in 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice: Implications for modeling elderly depression

Malatyńska

Steinbusch

Redkozubova

et al. 2012

Experimental Gerontology

103

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The prevalence of depression increases with aging. We hypothesized that like humans, old animals exhibit anhedonic-like behavior, along with signs of behavioral despair. In rodents, anhedonia, a reduced sensitivity to reward, which is listed as a core feature of major depression in the DSM-IVR, can be measured by a decrease in intake of and preference for sweet solutions. Here, sucrose intake, forced swimming, immobility in the modified tail suspension test, novelty exploration, grooming, anxiety and locomotor activity were compared in naïve 3-and 18-month-old male C57BL/6 mice. The absolute amounts and the ratio of consumed 1% sucrose solution to water intake was significantly smaller in 18-month-old mice than in 3-month-old mice. The consumption of 5%-sucrose solution requiring high levels of drinking effort, novelty exploration in two setups and grooming behavior in the splash test were reduced in older animals. Analysis of other behaviors suggested that the above-mentioned signs of anhedonic-like traits were unlikely to be attributable to the potential effect of aging on metabolic needs for water, taste perception, motor capabilities or the induction of essential anxiety and neophobia. A 4-week treatment with the antidepressant imipramine (7 mg/kg/day) or dimebon, a compound with suggested neuroprotective proneurogenic properties (1 mg/kg/day) restored sucrose intake and preference in 18-month-old mice. Meanwhile, young and old mice showed no differences in the parameters of behavioral despair evaluated in the forced swim and modified tail suspension tests. Thus, the behavioral profile of aged mice parallels that of humans with elderly depression, in whom the symptoms of hedonic deficits typically outweigh affective disturbances. The assessment of anhedonic-like traits with the sucrose preference test in 18-month-old mice will be useful in preclinical studies of elderly depression.

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Section: Eighteen-month-old Mice Display No Behavioral Signs Of Affecmentioning

confidence: 88%

Anhedonic-like traits and lack of affective deficits in 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice: Implications for modeling elderly depression

Malatyńska

Steinbusch

Redkozubova

et al. 2012

Experimental Gerontology

103

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show abstract

“…These characteristics of the FST make it an important tool in academic research and drug discovery in industrial settings where reliability and high throughput screening of novel compounds are essential. An additional feature of the FST is the availability of commercial automated behavior analysis systems that can accelerate the data collection process [18][19][20] . However, in our experience, these automated systems require extensive validation by human scoring.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Mouse Forced Swim Test

Can

Dao

Arad

et al. 2011

JoVE

362

295

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The forced swim test is a rodent behavioral test used for evaluation of antidepressant drugs, antidepressant efficacy of new compounds, and experimental manipulations that are aimed at rendering or preventing depressive-like states. Mice are placed in an inescapable transparent tank that is filled with water and their escape related mobility behavior is measured. The forced swim test is straightforward to conduct reliably and it requires minimal specialized equipment. Successful implementation of the forced swim test requires adherence to certain procedural details and minimization of unwarranted stress to the mice. In the protocol description and the accompanying video, we explain how to conduct the mouse version of this test with emphasis on potential pitfalls that may be detrimental to interpretation of results and how to avoid them. Additionally, we explain how the behaviors manifested in the test are assessed. Video LinkThe video component of this article can be found at http://www.jove.com/video/3638/ Protocol 1. Materials and Method The water tanksThe cylindrical tanks (30 cm height x 20 cm diameters) required for the mouse forced swim test (FST) in our laboratory are constructed of transparent Plexiglas, as this material is able to withstand the frequent movement of the tanks and accidents better than glass. The water level is 15 cm from the bottom and should be marked on the tank to ensure that the volume of water is consistent across mice. The number of tanks should ideally be at least twice as many as the number of mice being tested at a time, so that the second water tank set can be filled while the first set is in use. The dimensions of the tanks should be selected in a way that the mice will not be able to touch the bottom of the tank, either with their feet or their tails, during the swimming test. The height of the tank should be high enough to prevent the mice from escaping from the tank. Please note that the diameter of tank and the depth of water are important parameters that can be adjusted to change the behavior of mice (for a detailed analysis of these issues see 1-3 ). ThermometerA water resistant infrared thermometer is preferable, since rapid measurement of temperature reduces the amount of time required to conduct the test. However, a glass mercury thermometer will also be sufficient for this task.

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“…Over the first 2 minutes, test mice normally undergo habituation of struggling behavior. Thereafter, the antidepressant or pro-depressive effects of pharmacological and genetic manipulations could be distinguished, indicated by an enhancement of struggling and immobility, respectively, using manual (25) or automated scoring (26). After each run, mice were rescued, dried with a towel and placed near a heat source.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With an integrated threshold algorithm, the threshold for immobility was fine-tuned (at a value of 20) prior to the actual analyses so that the mouse is considered immobile (minimal movements) when it is visually verified as such. This and other automated FST behavioral quantitation have been tested to serve as reliable methods that address the limitations of manual (visual) scoring by experimenters (26, 28). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Allele Impairs Basal and Ketamine-Stimulated Synaptogenesis in Prefrontal Cortex

Liu

Lee

et al. 2012

Biological Psychiatry

359

306

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Background Knock-in mice with the common human BDNF Val66Met polymorphism have impaired trafficking of BDNF mRNA to dendrites. Given evidence that local synapse formation is dependent on dendritic translation of BDNF mRNA, it was hypothesized that loss-of-function Met allele mice would show synaptic deficits both at baseline and in response to ketamine, an NMDA antagonist that stimulates synaptogenesis in prefrontal cortex (PFC). Methods Whole-cell recordings from layer V medial PFC pyramidal cells in brain slices were combined with 2-photon laser scanning for analysis of WT, Val/Met, and Met/Met mice both at baseline and in response to a low dose of ketamine. Results Val/Met and Met/Met mice were found to have constitutive atrophy of distal apical dendrites and decrements in apically-targeted excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in layer V pyramidal cells of PFC. In addition, spine density and diameter were decreased, indicative of impaired synaptic formation/maturation (synaptogenesis). In Met/Met mice the synaptogenic effect of ketamine was markedly impaired, consistent with the idea that synaptogenesis is dependent on dendritic translation/release of BDNF. In parallel behavioral studies we found that the antidepressant response to ketamine in the forced swim test was blocked in Met/Met mice. Conclusions The results demonstrate that expression of the BDNF Met allele in mice results in basal synaptic deficits and blocks synaptogenic and antidepressant actions of ketamine in PFC, suggesting that the therapeutic response to this drug may be attenuated or blocked in depressed patients who carry the loss of function Met allele.

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Automated experimental system capturing three behavioral components during murine forced swim test

Cited by 13 publications

References 26 publications

Anhedonic-like traits and lack of affective deficits in 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice: Implications for modeling elderly depression

Anhedonic-like traits and lack of affective deficits in 18-month-old C57BL/6 mice: Implications for modeling elderly depression

The Mouse Forced Swim Test

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Val66Met Allele Impairs Basal and Ketamine-Stimulated Synaptogenesis in Prefrontal Cortex

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