[Use of the swimming test for demonstrating antidepressive activity of drugs during single and repeated...

After placing rats or mice into the cylinders filled with water the animals after initial period active swimming, take the immobilization position the time of which is minimized by administering antidepressants. Experiments were made with random-bred, tetrahybrids CBWA, and C57BL/6, BALB/c, CBA, F1 CBA/c55BL mice. Tetrahybrids CBWA appeared to be an optimal species for making experiments. The use of the "swimming test" made it possible to identify the activity of tricyclic (desipramine, chlorimipramine, amitryptyline) and atypical antidepressants (befuralin, zimelidine, trazodon), that of pyrazidol (type A MAO inhibitor) and of a number of new compounds--derivatives of benzofuran and morpholine upon single and chronic administration. To define the method specificity, use was made of the neuroleptic haloperidol, the tranquilizer diazepam, and of nembutal, which did not exhibit any activity in the test in question. Psychostimulants (amphetamine, caffeine) dramatically increased the time of active swimming. The effect lasted throughout all the 30 minutes of testing, which is not characteristic for antidepressants.