Factors influencing behavior in the forced swim test
Physiology & Behavior. 2013-06-01; 118: 227-239
DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2013.05.012
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Bogdanova OV(1), Kanekar S, D’Anci KE, Renshaw PF.
Author information:
(1)Brain Institute, University of Utah, 383 Colorow Drive, Salt Lake City,
UT84108, USA.
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.
Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.