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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
The Mouse Forced Swim Test
Published on: January 29, 2012
Novel insights into the behavioral analysis of mice subjected to the forced-swim test
L Chen1, G C Faas2, I Ferando2
11] Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Interdepartmental Ph.D. Program, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA [2] Department of Neurology, The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Abstract:
The forced-swim test (FST) is one of the most widely used rodent behavioral assays, in which the immobility of animals is used to assess the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. However, the existing, and mostly arbitrary, criteria used for quantification could lead to biased results. Here we believe we uncovered new confounding factors, revealed new indices to interpret the behavior of mice and propose an unbiased means for quantification of the FST.
