Assessing antidepressant activity in rodents: recent developments and future needs

All antidepressants in use today act via the monoamine neurotransmitters However, only ∼50% of individuals with depression show full remission Berton and Nestler review recent development of alternative, non-monoamine-based antidepressants, highlighting the obstacles and some of the most promising strategies All available antidepressant medications are based on serendipitous discoveries of the clinical efficacy of two classes of antidepressants more than 50 years ago These tricyclic and monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants were subsequently found to promote serotonin or noradrenaline function in the brain Newer agents are more specific but have the same core mechanisms of action in promoting these monoamine neurotransmitters This is unfortunate, because only ∼50% of individuals with depression show full remission in response to these mechanisms This review summarizes the obstacles that have hindered the development of non-monoamine-based antidepressants, and provides a progress report on some of the most promising current strategies

New approaches to antidepressant drug discovery: beyond monoamines

The tail suspension test as a model for assessing antidepressant activity: review of pharmacological and genetic studies in mice.

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The forced swim test (FST) is one of the most commonly used animal models for assessing antidepressant-like behavior. This protocol details using the FST in rats, which takes place over 48 h and is followed by the video analysis of the behavior. The swim test involves the scoring of active (swimming and climbing) or passive (immobility) behavior when rodents are forced to swim in a cylinder from which there is no escape. There are two versions that are used, namely the traditional and modified FSTs, which differ in their experimental setup. For both versions, a pretest of 15 min (although a number of laboratories have used a 10-min pretest with success) is included, as this accentuates the different behaviors in the 5-min swim test following drug treatment. Reduction in passive behavior is interpreted as an antidepressant-like effect of the manipulation, provided it does not increase general locomotor activity, which could provide a false positive result in the FST.

Using the rat forced swim test to assess antidepressant-like activity in rodents.

The phenotype of NKIR -/- mice was compared with that of acute pharmacological blockade of the tachykinin NK1 receptor on sensorimotor function and in assays relevant to depressive illness and anxiety. The dose range for L-760735 and GR205171 that was associated with functional blockade of central NK1 receptors in the target species was established by antagonism of the behavioural effects of intracerebroventricular NK1 agonist challenge in gerbils, mice and rats. The caudal grooming and scratching response to GR73632 was absent in NK1R -/- mice, confirming that the receptor had been genetically ablated. There was no evidence of sedation or motor impairment in NK1R -/- mice or following administration of L-760735 to gerbils, even at doses in excess of those required for central NK1 receptor occupancy. In the resident-intruder and forced swim test, the behaviour of NK1R -/- mice, or animals treated acutely with L-760735 or GR205171, resembled that seen with the clinically used antidepressant drug fluoxetine. However, the effects of GR205171 were not clearly enantioselective in mice. In contrast, although NK1R -/- mice also exhibited an increase in the duration of struggle behaviour in the tail suspension test, this was not observed following pharmacological blockade with L-760735 in gerbils or GR205171 in mice, suggesting that this may reflect a developmental alteration in the knockout mouse. There was no effect of NK1 receptor blockade with L-760735 in guinea-pigs or GR205171 in rats, or deletion of the NK1 receptor in mice, on behaviour in the elevated plus-maze test for anxiolytic activity. These findings extend previous observations on the phenotype of the NK1R -/- mouse and establish a broadly similar profile following acute pharmacological blockade of the receptor. These studies also serve to underscore the limitations of currently available antagonists that are suitable for use in rat and mouse behavioural assays. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Comparison of the phenotype of NK1R-/- mice with pharmacological blockade of the substance P (NK1) receptor in assays for antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs

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Comparison of the phenotype of NK1R-/- mice with pharmacological blockade of the substance P (NK1) receptor in assays for antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs