In-vivo screening of antidepressant

Newsletter # 52



Forced Swimming Test

The forced swimming test allows us to evaluate the anti-depressive properties of a compound.
It is based on the behavioural conflict of the subject between its desire to get out of the water, due to the threat of drowning, and the absence of a possibility to escape. Clinically active anti-depressants such as imipramine and fluoxetine have been found to delay the onset of the first phase of immobility and to reduce the total time of relative immobility in both rats and mice. In this test immobility represents hopelessness, which is a symptom of depression in both rodents and humans.

Cost-Effective screening assay for antidepressant compounds :
Fully automated - Fast turn-around - Highly reproducible - Validated with different pathways


The two graphs below show the dose response curve for imipramine and fluoxetine:

  • In this test immobility represents helplessness, which is a symptom of depression in both rodents and humans. As for example, the two graphs below show that acute imipramine and fluoxetine reduce the immobility time of mice during the forced swimming test

    * , ** statistically significant as compared to the Vehicle condition


NEUROFIT offers a range of validated in vitro and in vivo screening tests for psychiatry and neurology.

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