StressMatic: A Novel Automated System to Induce Depressive- and Anxiety-like Phenotype in Rats

Joana Martins-Macedo, António Mateus-Pinheiro, Cátia Alves, Fernando Veloso, Eduardo D. Gomes, Ines Ribeiro, Joana S. Correia, Tiago Silveira-Rosa, Nuno D. Alves, Ana J. Rodrigues, Joao M. Bessa, Nuno Sousa, Joao F. Oliveira, Patrícia Patrício, Luísa Pinto (Corresponding author)

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a multidimensional psychiatric disorder that is estimated to affect around 350 million people worldwide. Generating valid and effective animal models of depression is critical and has been challenging for neuroscience researchers. For preclinical studies, models based on stress exposure, such as unpredictable chronic mild stress (uCMS), are amongst the most reliable and used, despite presenting concerns related to the standardization of protocols and time consumption for operators. To overcome these issues, we developed an automated system to expose rodents to a standard uCMS protocol. Here, we compared manual (uCMS) and automated (auCMS) stress-exposure protocols. The data shows that the impact of the uCMS exposure by both methods was similar in terms of behavioral (cognition, mood, and anxiety) and physiological (cell proliferation and endocrine variations) measurements. Given the advantages of time and standardization, this automated method represents a step forward in this field of preclinical research.

Original languageEnglish
Article number381
JournalCells
Volume12
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2023

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 106002 Biochemistry

Keywords

  • MIB
  • automated rack
  • stress-exposure
  • protocols standardization
  • preclinical research

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