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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
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The Tail Suspension Test
Published on: January 28, 2012
Quantitative traits for the tail suspension test: automation, optimization, and BXD RI mapping
Heena V Lad1, Lin Liu, José L Payá-Cano
1Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre (PO82), Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, SE5 8AF, United Kingdom. Heena.Lad@iop.kcl.ac.uk
Summary
Automated video analysis of the tail suspension test (TST) reveals genetic loci for immobility. Optimizing scoring parameters enhances the detection of genetic influences on despair-like behavior in mice.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Genetics
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Immobility in the tail suspension test (TST) serves as a behavioral indicator of despair and is reduced by antidepressants.
- Significant genetic variation in baseline immobility exists among inbred mouse strains, with several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) identified.
- Manual scoring of TST is labor-intensive and suffers from inter-laboratory variability, hindering robust data comparison.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish objective criteria for automated scoring parameters in TST to maximize biological information.
- To identify genetic loci associated with immobility using a video tracking system in a large mouse genetic panel.
- To investigate the genetic basis of immobility and mobility frequency as independent phenotypes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a video tracking system for automated scoring of tail suspension tests in 24 lines of the BXD recombinant inbred panel and progenitor strains.
- Analyzed TST data using varying time resolutions and mobility thresholds to identify optimal parameters for genetic analysis.
- Performed genetic association studies to map QTLs for immobility and mobility frequency.
Main Results:
- The highest genetic effect size for immobility was captured using high time resolution and a low mobility threshold.
- Genetic association analysis revealed significant loci for immobility on chromosomes 4 and 15, particularly evident with a high immobility threshold.
- A second TST trial exhibited increased immobility duration and a distinct genetic profile, while mobility frequency mapped to a separate locus on chromosome 1.
Conclusions:
- Automated video analysis with optimized parameters can effectively capture genetic influences on TST immobility.
- Specific genetic loci on chromosomes 4 and 15 are implicated in mouse immobility behavior.
- Mobility frequency represents an independent phenotype with its own genetic underpinnings.
