2.4.4. Forced swim test

The apparatus for this test was a water tank filled with water to 25 cm for male mice and 20 cm for female mice. Water temperature was maintained at 25°C and replaced between each mouse. This test evaluated depressive-like behavior as the time mice spend immobile when forced to swim in an inescapable water tank.⁵⁶ A mouse was considered to be immobile once swimming and escape behaviors ceased, and it was floating belly-down with its head above the water. The test session lasted 6 minutes, but only the last 4 minutes of the test were scored. Following the test session, the mouse was removed from the tank, dried with a towel, and placed in their home cage under a heat lamp for 15 minutes. An experimenter monitored the test session for signs of drowning, in which case the test would be immediately terminated.