Source Paper
From Struggling (With) Screening Tests to Mouse Models of Depression‐Relevant Neurobehavioral States
Pryce CR
Curr Protoc • 2026
Forced Swim Test
Objective: A behavioral test measuring immobility versus swimming behavior in rodents exposed to inescapable water stress, originally designed as an antidepressant screening assay
This is a Forced Swim Test protocol using Rats and mice as the model organism. The procedure involves 5 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 2 materials. Extracted from a 2026 paper published in Curr Protoc.
Model and subjects
Rats and mice • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified • Not specified
Study window
~1 day study window | ~26 minutes hands-on
Core workflow
Initial water exposure (rats) • Inter-session interval (rats) • Test session (rats)
Primary readouts
- Duration of immobility/floating behavior
- Duration of swimming/climbing behavior
- Behavioral transition from active to passive responses
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Initial water exposure (rats)
Place rat in cylinder of water for 15 minutes
View evidence from paper
“comprised a 15‐min placement in a cylinder of water”
Inter-session interval (rats)
Wait 24 hours between initial exposure and test
View evidence from paper
“followed 24 hr later by a 5‐min replacement”
Test session (rats)
Replace rat in water cylinder for 5 minutes
View evidence from paper
“followed 24 hr later by a 5‐min replacement in the water cylinder”
Single session protocol (mice)
Place mouse in water for 6 minutes in single session
View evidence from paper
“there is only one placement in water, typically for 6 min”
Observe behavioral transition
Record swimming/climbing at beginning transitioning to floating/immobility
View evidence from paper
“swimming, or climbing attempts, predominate at the beginning and floating (immobility) predominates at the end”