Table 1.
Comparison of DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria with features of “depressive-like” behavior in rodents.
| DSM-IV-TR symptoms of depressiona | Cytokine-induced sickness or “depressive-like” behavior in rodents | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Anhedonia | Decrease in sucrose consumption and drinking rate; decrease in responding for rewarding brain stimulation | Anisman et al., 1998; Merali et al., 2003; Sammut et al., 2002, 2001 |
| Significant loss of weight or appetite | Weight loss and decreased food consumption | Makino et al., 2000; Plata-Salaman et al., 1988; Swiergiel et al., 1997 |
| Insomnia or hypersomnia | Increased sleeping | Krueger and Majde, 2003 |
| Psychomotor agitation or retardation | Decreased locomotor activity, voluntary wheel-running behavior, and social exploration | Dantzer et al., 1991; Wood et al., 2006; Pitychoutis et al., 2009 |
| Fatigue or loss of energy | Decreased locomotor activity and voluntary wheel-running behavior; increased conservation-withdrawal behavior | Dantzer et al., 1991; Wood et al., 2006; Minor et al., 2006 |
| Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness | Decreased spatial memory on Morris water maze; increased latency of escape to a foot shock using a shuttle box; inhibition of long-term potentiationb | Bonaccorso et al., 2003; Kelly et al., 2003; Song et al., 2006; reviewed in Khairova et al., 2009 |
a
Additional symptoms of depression listed in the DSM-IV-TR (and not shown in Table 1) include: feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt, and recurrent thoughts of death (DSM-IV-TR, 2000).
b
Decreased capacity for long-term potentiation is associated with stress exposure and this change in synaptic plasticity can be restored by treatment with various types of antidepressants, such as tianeptine and fluoxetine (Dupin et al., 2006; Yaka et al., 2007).