Two different putative genetic animal models of childhood depression.
BACKGROUND
In an attempt to model childhood depression, we examined whether existing genetic animal models of depression in adult rats are also valid in prepubertal rats.


METHODS
Two different "depressed" rat lines were studied: the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) and their controls, Sprague-Dawley (SD); and the Wistar Kyoto (WKY) line and their controls, Wistar. We hypothesized that male prepubertal FSL and WKY rats would show increased swim test immobility and different patterns of social play and of basal plasma levels of corticosterone and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) compared with control rats.


RESULTS
Prepubertal FSL and WKY rats exhibited significantly longer duration of immobility than control rats in the swim test. The FSL rats demonstrated significantly higher levels of social play behaviors and lower levels of corticosterone and ACTH compared with SD control rats, whereas WKY rats demonstrated significantly lower levels of social play behaviors and higher plasma levels of corticosterone and ACTH compared with Wistar control rats.


CONCLUSIONS
The results might suggest that prepubertal FSL and WKY rats are both putative genetic animal models of childhood depression, exhibiting separate patterns and symptoms of childhood depression.
Malkesman
Oz
O
Interdisciplinary Program in the Brain Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan.
Braw
Yoram
Y
Maayan
Rachel
R
Weizman
Abraham
A
Overstreet
David H
DH
Shabat-Simon
Meytal
M
Kesner
Yael
Y
Touati-Werner
Daphna
D
Yadid
Gal
G
Weller
Aron
A
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000097:blood; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003863:Depression / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D046352:Freezing Reaction, Cataleptic / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012919:Social Behavior; D013045:Species Specificity; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology
D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D003345:Corticosterone