Source Paper
Association between depression during pregnancy and preterm birth: Results from population cohorts and mouse experimental models
Chen S, Yan G, Xie X, Wang Q, Zhong J et al.
PLoS One • 2026
Sugar Preference Test
Objective: To assess hedonic deficiency in mice, with a decrease in sugar water preference indicative of anhedonia
Protocol Steps
Training phase preparation
Three days prior to the experiment, mice undergo training to acclimate to sugar water
View evidence from paper
“Three days prior to commencing the experiment, the mice underwent training”
Initial bottle setup
House each mouse individually with two water bottles, both containing 1% sucrose water
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“Each mouse was group-housed in a single cage, with two water bottles provided simultaneously within each cage. Initially, both bottles contained 1% sucrose water”
Bottle content differentiation
Change one bottle to contain sucrose water and the other distilled water, rotating bottle positions every 4 hours
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“Subsequently, one bottle contained sucrose water, while the other contained distilled water, with the positioning of the bottles rotated every 4 hours to prevent bias”
Fasting period
On the third day, withhold food and water from mice
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“On the third day, food and water were withheld”
Test execution
At 9 AM on fourth day, provide pre-quantified sucrose water and distilled water simultaneously for 24 hours
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“At 9 am on the fourth day, each mouse was simultaneously given prequantified sucrose water and distilled water, and after 24 hours”
Measurement and calculation
Weigh all water bottles after 24 hours and calculate sugar water preference rate
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“all the water bottles were weighed... sugar water preference rate was calculated as a percentage of total water consumption (1% sugar water consumption/total water consumption×100%)”
Repeated measurements
During modeling phase, take measurements on the 2nd, 4th, and 6th days using the same protocol
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“Throughout the modeling phase, measurements were taken on the 2nd, 4th, and 6th days according to the described protocol”