Enforced swimming assay

Also called behavioural despair test (the Porsolt test) is a test used to measure the effect of antidepressant drugs on the behaviour of rodents. Animals are subjected to two trials during which they are forced to swim in an acrylic glass cylinder filled with water. The first trial lasts 15 minutes. After 24-hours, a second trial is performed that lasts 5 minutes. The time that the testing animal spends without moving in the second trial is measured. This immobility time is decreased by antidepressants. We use visial tracking system for our Forced Swimming Test.