Individual differences in the elevated plus-maze and the forced swim test

Estanislau, Célio; Ramos, Anna Carolina; Ferraresi, Paula Daniele; Costa, Naiara Fernanda; Carvalho, Heloisa Maria Cotta Pires de; Batistela, Silmara

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2010.08.008

Cited by 36 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Anxiety is frequently comorbid with depressive disorders [36–38] and SSRIs are often used to diminish anxiety [38]. Yet, there has been little data concerning the potential influence of EPO on behavioural indices of anxiety [39].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antidepressant-Like Effects of Erythropoietin: A Focus on Behavioural and Hippocampal Processes

et al. 2013

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Depression is a chronic and debilitating condition with a significant degree of relapse and treatment resistance that could stem, at least in part, from disturbances of neuroplasticity. This has led to an increased focus on treatment strategies that target brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), synaptic plasticity and adult neurogenesis. In the current study we aimed to assess whether erythropoietin (EPO) would have antidepressant-like effects given its already established pro-trophic actions. In particular, we assessed whether EPO would diminish the deleterious effects of a social stressor in mice. Indeed, EPO induced anxiolytic and antidepressant-like responses in a forced swim test, open field, elevated-plus maze, and a novelty test, and appeared to blunt some of the negative behavioural effects of a social stressor. Furthermore, EPO promoted adult hippocampal neurogenesis, an important feature of effective antidepressants. Finally, a separate study using the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin revealed that antagonizing this pathway prevented the impact of EPO upon forced swim performance. These data are consistent with previous findings showing that the mTOR pathway and its neurogenic and synaptogenic effects might mediate the behavioral consequences of antidepressant agents. Our findings further highlight EPO as a possible adjunct treatment for affective disorders, as well as other stressor associated disorders of impaired neuroplasticity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antidepressant-Like Effects of Erythropoietin: A Focus on Behavioural and Hippocampal Processes

et al. 2013

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“…Estanislau and colleagues 59 evaluated FST behavior in the elevated plus-maze 60 and found that the most anxious animals have a higher latency to immobility versus a stronger immobility behavior in less anxious animals. According to these results, our rats exhibit anxiety-like behavior, a term that we use in this discussion.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurotransmitter Systems in a Mild Blast Traumatic Brain Injury Model: Catecholamines and Serotonin

Kawa

Arborelius

Yoshitake

et al. 2015

Journal of Neurotrauma

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Exposure to improvised explosive devices can result in a unique form of traumatic brain injury-blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI). At the mild end of the spectrum (mild bTBI [mbTBI]), there are cognitive and mood disturbances. Similar symptoms have been observed in post-traumatic stress disorder caused by exposure to extreme psychological stress without physical injury. A role of the monoaminergic system in mood regulation and stress is well established but its involvement in mbTBI is not well understood. To address this gap, we used a rodent model of mbTBI and detected a decrease in immobility behavior in the forced swim test at 1 d post-exposure, coupled with an increase in climbing behavior, but not after 14 d or later, possibly indicating a transient increase in anxiety-like behavior. Using in situ hybridization, we found elevated messenger ribonucleic acid levels of both tyrosine hydroxylase and tryptophan hydroxylase 2 in the locus coeruleus and the dorsal raphe nucleus, respectively, as early as 2 h post-exposure. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis 1 d post-exposure primarily showed elevated noradrenaline levels in several forebrain regions. Taken together, we report that exposure to mild blast results in transient changes in both anxiety-like behavior and brain region-specific molecular changes, implicating the monoaminergic system in the pathobiology of mbTBI.

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“…Due to significant inter-group variability, this parameter is an important point of interest in the interpretation of FST results [24,39]. Inter-individual variations in behavior in the FST within otherwise identical animals could interfere with the consistent use of this test.…”

Section: Biological Factors In the Fstmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The elevated plus-maze is a widely used behavioral test for anxiety [82], based on a tendency exhibited by rats to avoid open spaces: typically, the closed arms are explored for a longer duration than the open arms. The most anxious animals (those spent less time in the open arm) have less immobility in the second FST session versus the first, and a higher latency to immobility, while the other groups exhibit more immobility in the second FST session versus the first and a lower latency to immobility [39]. D-cycloserine, a partial agonist of the glycine binding site on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, decreased immobility in the FST in anxious but not in rats which spent more time in the open arms [83].…”

Section: Biological Factors In the Fstmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors influencing behavior in the forced swim test

Bogdanova

Kanekar

D’Anci

et al. 2013

Physiology & Behavior

359

216

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The forced swim test (FST) is a behavioral test in rodents which was developed in 1978 by Porsolt and colleagues as a model for predicting the clinical efficacy of antidepressant drugs. A modified version of the FST added the classification of active behaviors into swimming and climbing, in order to facilitate the differentiation between serotonergic and noradrenergic classes of antidepressant drugs. The FST is now widely used in basic research and the pharmaceutical screening of potential antidepressant treatments. It is also one of the most commonly used tests to assess depressive-like behavior in animal models. Despite the simplicity and sensitivity of the FST procedure, important differences even in baseline immobility rates have been reported between different groups, which complicate the comparison of results across studies. In spite of several methodological papers and reviews published on the FST, the need still exists for clarification of factors which can influence the procedure. While most recent reviews have focused on antidepressant effects observed with the FST, this one considers the methodological aspects of the procedure, aiming to summarize issues beyond antidepressant action in the FST. The previously published literature is analyzed for factors which are known to influence animal behavior in the FST. These include biological factors, such as strain, age, body weight, gender and individual differences between animals; influence of preconditioning before the FST: handling, social isolation or enriched environment, food manipulations, various kinds of stress, endocrine manipulations and surgery; schedule and routes of treatment, dosage and type of the drugs as well as experimental design and laboratory environmental effects. Consideration of these factors in planning experiments may result in more consistent FST results.

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Individual differences in the elevated plus-maze and the forced swim test

Cited by 36 publications

References 24 publications

Antidepressant-Like Effects of Erythropoietin: A Focus on Behavioural and Hippocampal Processes

Antidepressant-Like Effects of Erythropoietin: A Focus on Behavioural and Hippocampal Processes

Neurotransmitter Systems in a Mild Blast Traumatic Brain Injury Model: Catecholamines and Serotonin

Factors influencing behavior in the forced swim test

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