title: Changes in behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations during antidepressant treatment in the maternally separated Wistar-Kyoto rat model of depression.
abstract: Genetic predisposition and stress are major factors in depression. The objective of this study was to establish a robust animal model of depression by selecting the appropriate substrain of the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat, and subjecting these rats to the stress of maternal separation during the early stages of development. The initial experiment identified WKY/NCrl as the appropriate substrain of WKY to use for the study. In the second part of the study, depression-like behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) were recorded in WKY/NCrl and maternally separated WKY/NCrl rats during the course of reversal of depression-like behavior. Wistar rats served as the reference strain. In adulthood, non-separated WKY/NCrl, maternally separated WKY/NCrl and Wistar rats were injected intraperitoneally with either saline or desipramine (15 mg/kg/day) for 15 days and their behavior recorded. Desipramine decreased immobility and increased active swimming and struggling behavior of WKY/NCrl in the FST and also decreased their USVs in response to removal of cage mates. The USVs in this study appeared to signal an attempt to re-establish social contact with cage mates and provided a measure of social dependence. Maternally separated WKY/NCrl rats displayed more anxiety than normally reared WKY/NCrl rats and responded to the anxiolytic effects of desipramine. The present findings support the use of WKY/NCrl as an animal model of depression. Maternal separation increased the anxiety-like behavior of the WKY/NCrl, thus providing a robust model to study depression- and anxiety-related behavior.
authors: Department of Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Observatory, Cape Town, 7925, South Africa, vanzyl.jurgens@gmail.com.
authors: P J
authors: PJ
authors: van Zyl
authors: J J
authors: JJ
authors: Dimatelis
authors: V A
authors: VA
authors: Russell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D008426:Maternal Deprivation; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents