The tail suspension test.
The tail-suspension test is a mouse behavioral test useful in the screening of potential antidepressant drugs, and assessing of other manipulations that are expected to affect depression related behaviors. Mice are suspended by their tails with tape, in such a position that it cannot escape or hold on to nearby surfaces. During this test, typically six minutes in duration, the resulting escape oriented behaviors are quantified. The tail-suspension test is a valuable tool in drug discovery for high-throughput screening of prospective antidepressant compounds. Here, we describe the details required for implementation of this test with additional emphasis on potential problems that may occur and how to avoid them. We also offer a solution to the tail climbing behavior, a common problem that renders this test useless in some mouse strains, such as the widely used C57BL/6. Specifically, we prevent tail climbing behaviors by passing mouse tails through a small plastic cylinder prior to suspension. Finally, we detail how to manually score the behaviors that are manifested in this test.
Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, USA.
Adem
A
Can
David T
DT
Dao
Chantelle E
CE
Terrillion
Sean C
SC
Piantadosi
Shambhu
S
Bhat
Todd D
TD
Gould
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D019417:Hindlimb Suspension / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013315:Stress, Psychological