Box 1: Preclmical models

摘要

Animal models of depression are evaluated for their aetiological validity: to be valid, depression-like behaviours need to be caused by the same aetiologies that trigger human depression. This is a challenging requirement, given the absence of definitive aetiologies for human depression. Current models gauge an animal's 'depression-related' responses to acute or chronic inescapable stress. These include the forced-swim test, which quantifies immobility in a water bath (proposed to be analogous to 'behavioural despair' observed in depression; see box figure, left).