Distinct Neuropsychological Mechanisms May Explain Delayed- Versus Rapid-Onset Antidepressant Efficacy.

ABSTRACT: The biochemical targets for antidepressants are relatively well established, but we lack a clear understanding of how actions at these proteins translate to clinical benefits. This study used a novel rodent assay to investigate how different antidepressant drugs act to modify affective biases that have been implicated in depression. In this bowl-digging task, rats encounter two equal value learning experiences on separate days (one during an affective manipulation and the other during control conditions). This induces an affective bias that is quantified using a preference test in which both digging substrates are presented together and the individual rats' choices recorded. The assay can be used to measure affective biases associated with learning (when the treatment is given at the time

SUBMITTER: Stuart SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4487826 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature