Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 6, 2026

The Mouse Forced Swim Test

The Mouse Forced Swim Test

Published on: January 29, 2012

The Rodent Forced Swim Test Measures Stress-Coping Strategy, Not Depression-like Behavior.

Kathryn G Commons¹, Aram B Cholanians¹, Jessica A Babb¹

¹Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Anesthesia, Harvard Medical School , 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States.

ACS Chemical Neuroscience

|March 14, 2017

Summary

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Aggression and repeated alcohol drinking-in-the-dark: dissecting subtypes in outbred mice.

Psychopharmacology·2026

Same author

Acute administration of a dual orexin receptor antagonist attenuates sleep fragmentation in a mouse model of traumatic brain injury.

Neuroscience·2025

Same author

Adapting Case Studies for Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Courses.

Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience·2024

Same author

Estrous cycle dependent expression of oxycodone conditioned reward in rats.

Scientific reports·2023

Same author

Disturbances in fear extinction learning after mild traumatic brain injury in mice are accompanied by alterations in dendritic plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex and basolateral nucleus of the amygdala.

Brain research bulletin·2023

Same author

Ranking the contribution of behavioral measures comprising oxycodone self-administration to reinstatement of drug-seeking in male and female rats.

Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience·2022

The forced swim test (FST) measures stress coping but is inaccurately called "depression-like." This behavior also appears in other disorders, like autism spectrum disorder (ASD), necessitating precise terminology for stress response studies.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Behavioral Science
Psychiatry

Background:

The forced swim test (FST) assesses behavioral responses to acute stress.
Depression is linked to altered stress responses, and antidepressant drugs often improve active coping in the FST.
Passive coping in the FST is frequently mislabeled as "depression-like" behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the interpretation of the FST as a measure of depression-like behavior.
To advocate for more precise terminology in stress response research.
To highlight the relevance of the FST to other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on the FST and its application in studying stress and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Keywords:

Porsolt Stress addiction antidepressants autism behavior serotonin

More Related Videos

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

Published on: March 2, 2015

Author Spotlight: Establishing a Rodent Model for Investigating Depression Factors in Traditional Mongolian Medicine

Author Spotlight: Establishing a Rodent Model for Investigating Depression Factors in Traditional Mongolian Medicine

Published on: October 27, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 6, 2026

The Mouse Forced Swim Test

The Mouse Forced Swim Test

Published on: January 29, 2012

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

The Forced Swim Test as a Model of Depressive-like Behavior

Published on: March 2, 2015

Author Spotlight: Establishing a Rodent Model for Investigating Depression Factors in Traditional Mongolian Medicine

Author Spotlight: Establishing a Rodent Model for Investigating Depression Factors in Traditional Mongolian Medicine

Published on: October 27, 2023

Analysis of the construct and face validity of the FST for depression.

Examination of FST data in genetic mouse models of ASD.

Main Results:

The FST's direct equivalence to "depression-like" behavior lacks sufficient construct and face validity.
Altered stress coping strategies in the FST are observed in conditions beyond depression, including ASD models.
The FST is a valuable tool for studying stress coping mechanisms relevant to various neuropsychiatric conditions.

Conclusions:

Oversimplified terminology like "depression-like" behavior in the FST hinders accurate scientific interpretation.
Precise language is crucial for understanding the neural basis of stress responses and their relation to diverse disorders.
The FST offers insights into stress coping applicable to a broader range of neuropsychiatric conditions, including but not limited to depression and ASD.