Forced Swimming Test
The forced swimming test is an animal model used to evaluate antidepressant drugs.
Our company offers a variety of classical behavioral tests for the study of depression and the screening and evaluation of antidepressant drugs, including the forced swimming test. We provide customized testing service solutions to help our clients make progress in depression-related researches.
Experimental Principle
During forced swimming test, experimental animals are placed in a confined and inescapable environment and forced to swim. Due to rodents are naturally averse to water, they struggle and swim in the water trying to escape the environment. After a period of time, the experimental animals found that the escape was hopeless and stopped struggling, showing a typical " immobile state ". A series of parameters are observed and recorded during the immobility of experimental animals, and these parameters can be used to assess the effects of antidepressants.
Fig. 1 Forced swimming test. (Cryan, 2002)
Experimental Flow
The following description is forced swimming test in rats. During the testing process, we can select the appropriate strain of rats as experimental animals according to the customer's research demands to ensure the rationality of the experiment.
- During the experimental preparation phase, adjust the water temperature and depth to ensure that the animal's tail is at a certain distance from the bottom of the tank.
- Before the test, the animals were pre-swim in the device for 15 min, causing a "depression response".
- After 24 h, forced swimming test was performed. Animal behavior analysis software was used to record the activity of rats during 6 min.
Parameter Indexes
The evaluation indexes mainly determine the time and number of the three types of movements of the animal: immobility, swimming and climbing.
| Indexes | Description |
|---|---|
| Immobility | The animal stopped struggling in the water and was floating, with only slight limb movements to keep its head above the water. |
| Swimming | The animal performs fluid, coordinated movements, and the animal's limbs are always below the water surface. |
| Climbing | The animal's limbs were strongly stretched out of the water and made vigorous up and down movements along the wall of the test device. |
Our animal behavior analysis system videos the entire experiment and performs image tracking analysis, thus reducing human errors and ensuring reliable results for our customers.
Features
- The forced swimming test can well distinguish antidepressants from anxiolytics.
- It is a reliable experimental model for studying the pharmacology of human depression and its pathogenesis, and for screening and observing antidepressant drugs in research.
Our company offers professional one-stop services from experimental design to results analysis to bring breakthroughs to your research. We guarantee on-time delivery of test results. If you need, you can contact us at any time.
Reference
- Cryan, J. F.; et al. Assessing antidepressant activity in rodents: recent developments and future needs. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 2002, 23(5):238-245.