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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 May 13.
Published in final edited form as: Compr Physiol. 2016 Sep 15;6(4):1897–1934. doi: 10.1002/cphy.c150042

Table 2.

Tests that are commonly used to assess depression-like behavior in rodents.

Behavioral
paradigm		 Description Indication of
depressive
behavior		 Responsive
to anti-
depressant
treatment		 References
Forced Swim Test (FST) Rodent briefly placed in a deep inescapable container of water Increased time spent immobile suggests behavioral despair Yes (298, 409, 412, 413)
Tail Suspension Test (TST) Mouse briefly suspended by the tail Increased time spent immobile suggests behavioral despair Yes (409, 522)
Sucrose Preference Test (SPT) Rodents offered free access to water and sucrose drink Reduced consumption of sucrose (vs. water) suggests anhedonia Yes (246, 481, 585, 586)