Journal
ANNALS OF MEDICINE
Volume 42, Issue 4, Pages 252-264Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.3109/07853891003769957
Keywords
Animal model; antidepressant; behavior; depression; mood disorder; translational
Categories
Funding
- CIF
- Colciencias (Colombia)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Depression, among other mood disorders, represents one of the most common health problems worldwide, with steadily increasing incidence and major socio-economic consequences. However, since the knowledge about the underlying pathophysiological principles is still very scanty, depression and other mood disorders are currently diagnosed solely on clinical grounds. Currently used treatment modalities would therefore benefit enormously from the development of alternative therapeutic interventions. The implementation of proper animal models is a prerequisite for increasing the understanding of the neurobiological basis of mood disorders and is paving the way for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets. In the past thirty years, since the seminal description of the Forced Swim Test as a system to probe antidepressant activity in rodents, the use of animals to model depression and antidepressant activity has come a long way. In this review we describe some of the most commonly used strategies, ranging from screening procedures, such as the Forced Swim Test and the Tail Suspension Test and animal models, such as those based upon chronic stress procedures, to genetic approaches. Finally we also discuss some of the inherent limitations and caveats that need to be considered when using animals as models for mental disorders in basic research.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available