Neurobehavioral studies of forced swimming: The role of learning and memory in the forced swim test

Author(s):  
A.Preston West
2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
A V Kalueff ◽  
P Tuohimaa

Animal swimming tests, such as the forced swim test, are extensively used in biomedical research to study rodent behaviour. Hair and skin exposed to water may be an important factor affecting the performance in this test. Since various hair and skin abnormalities are not uncommon in genetically modified or drug-treated laboratory animals, this test may be inappropriate for these animals. Because on occasions it is necessary to screen their swimming behaviour, in the present study we aimed to assess the role of hair in swimming of laboratory rodents in the forced swim test, widely used in behavioural research. For this, we shaved laboratory mice (129S1 strain) and compared their swimming patterns with those of unshaven controls. Overall, shaving mice did not affect their swimming behaviours in the 5 min forced swim test. Our results indicate that hair condition is not an important factor in the forced swim test for this mouse strain, and suggest that this test may have wider utility for behavioural analyses of mice with abnormal hair.


2015 ◽  
Vol 99 ◽  
pp. 301-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Sałat ◽  
Agata Siwek ◽  
Gabriela Starowicz ◽  
Tadeusz Librowski ◽  
Gabriel Nowak ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e954
Author(s):  
Afshin Roostaei ◽  
Gholamhassan Vaezi ◽  
Mohammad Nasehi ◽  
Ali Haeri-Rohani ◽  
Mohammad-Reza Zarrindast

Background: Diabetes is one of the most common endocrine diseases characterized by hyperglycemia. It is caused by an absolute or relative insulin deficiency or an insulin function deficiency. It is one of the major risk factors of depression, with the rate of depression in diabetic patients amounting to as high as 30%. This study examined the role of dopamine receptors in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced depressive-like behavior using the forced swim test (FST). Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 56 Wistar male rats. STZ at doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg body weight was administered via intraperitoneal (IP) route to induce diabetes and depression in rats. Thereafter, by using halobenzazepine (SCH23390) (D1 dopamine receptor antagonist) and sulpiride (D2 receptor dopamine receptor antagonist), the role of dopamine receptors in STZ-induced depression was studied. The one-way analysis of variance technique, Tukey’s range test, and t-test were used to analyze the data. The P-value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: Our study showed that STZ at doses of 30 and 60 mg/kg, two weeks after injection, caused prolonged immobility in FST, indicating depressive-like behavior (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively). SCH23390 (0.001 mg/mL/kg) and sulpiride (0.1mg/mL/kg) did not change the variables of depression in animals that received STZ (at doses of 30 and 60 mg/mL/kg) two weeks before (P>0.05). Conclusion: According to our study, STZ has a depressive-like behavior two weeks after injection, and dopamine receptors do not play a role in depression associated with STZ use. [GMJ.2018;7:e954]


2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 538-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Micale ◽  
Anna Arezzi ◽  
Liborio Rampello ◽  
Filippo Drago

2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Wolak ◽  
Agata Siwek ◽  
Bernadeta Szewczyk ◽  
Ewa Poleszak ◽  
Beata Bystrowska ◽  
...  

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1121-1125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galila Agam ◽  
Yuly Bersudsky ◽  
Gerard T. Berry ◽  
Diederik Moechars ◽  
Yael Lavi-Avnon ◽  
...  

Lithium inhibits IMPase (inositol monophosphatase) activity, as well as inositol transporter function. To determine whether one or more of these mechanisms might underlie lithium's behavioural effects, we studied Impa1 (encoding IMPase) and Smit1 (sodium–myo-inositol transporter 1)-knockout mice. In brains of adult homozygous Impa1-knockout mice, IMPase activity was found to be decreased; however, inositol levels were not found to be altered. Behavioural analysis indicated decreased immobility in the forced-swim test as well as a strongly increased sensitivity to pilocarpine-induced seizures. These are behaviours robustly induced by lithium. In homozygous Smit1-knockout mice, free inositol levels were decreased in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. These animals behave like lithium-treated animals in the model of pilocarpine seizures and in the Porsolt forced-swim test model of depression. In contrast with O'Brien et al. [O'Brien, Harper, Jove, Woodgett, Maretto, Piccolo and Klein (2004) J. Neurosci. 24, 6791–6798], we could not confirm that heterozygous Gsk3b (glycogen synthase kinase 3β)-knockout mice exhibit decreased immobility in the Porsolt forced-swim test or decreased amphetamine-induced hyperactivity in a manner mimicking lithium's behavioural effects. These data support the role of inositol-related processes rather than GSK3β in the mechanism of the therapeutic action of lithium.


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