Tail Suspension Test

Purpose

To test for failure, to try to escape an aversive stimulus.

Description

Tail Suspension Test (TST) measures the duration of immobility that is inferred as an index of behavioural despair (the animal has resigned escaping). Following an initial period of vigorous struggling, the animal gradually abates into immobility. Duration of immobility detected in the TST is sensitive to antidepressants action. TST is a good tool to study the neurobiology of depression in gene-modified mice.

Figure 1. Mgat5 deficient mice showed decreased immobility duration in TST interpreted as "antidepressant-like" endophenotype. (Soleimani et al 2007. Beta N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (Mgat5) deficiency reduces the depression-like phenotype in mice. 7(3): 334-343.)