Presentation
The Forced Swimming Test (FST) is a frequently used behavioral anxiety test, originally developed by Roger Porsolt (Porsoltet al., 1977) as a convenient way to measure the effects of antidepressant drugs in mice. The Forced Swimming Test (FST) was modified and improved to measure not only immobility but mainly the active behaviour (swimming, climbing / struggling (I Lucki et al. 1995, Cryan et al., 2002).

Two types of behaviour can be observed during the Porsolt Test:
- Non-depressed rodents (mice), even when unable to escape from the water-filled cylinders, will try to swim out of the containers.
- Depressed rodents (mice) will stop trying and float in the cylinders, showing behavioural despair.
The floating or immobility time during the test is an accurate indication of the effects of anti-depressants.
As the scoring of this Forced Swimming Test is time consuming for experts, some automated instruments have been shown, mostly based on image analysis. Although some have been proved efficient in reducing the analysis time, their scoring time accuracy in the swimming / climbing states.

Benefits
The measuring concept developped by BIOSEB for the new Automated Forced Swmimming Test has been proven as : - Highly accurate ( better than 4%) and repeatable (100%)
- Having easy to verify results (GLP recording) , at any time by any user or expert, with the idea to allow for inter-users and inter-labs scoring.
- Fast and easy to setup, easy to run as a routine test
- Cost effective and time efficient (vs current video based instruments)

Operation principle
The Bioseb Automated Forced Swimming Test (AFST) includes 4 instrumented (vibration sensors) beakers (Ø 19 cm ( 7,6 ‘’), 25 cm height ( 10,0’’)) presented on a stand and connected to a PC software via an usb link. Data capture includes the raw datas from the sensors synchronised with the video images from an usb camera (optionnally the user may use 2 cameras for each set of 2 beakers in order to get a better view of the animal tested). Calibration is done at any time (prior, during or after the runs, on site or remotly) by the user or preferably by the lab expert and recorded. The scoring tool allows also for training and inter – users scoring comparisons. For each mouse and each run, the analysis will report the 3 activity levels (immobility, swimming , climbing) in a few minutes, using a highly sophisticated software. The results are exported directly to .xls files.
The raw datas (sensors and video), saved and encrypted in a GLP format, can be replayed, re-scored, re-analysed, at any time, and the results checked again and again, providing valuable information for your research on anxiety and the effect of anxiolytic drugs

System advantages for the new Automated Forced Swimming Test :
- Fully automated and secured instrument, as the user is able to visually score, and check, the results from the video recorded, this is not « a black box ».
- Using Bioseb's Automated Forced Swimming Test, you'll be able to record the video of your trials, calculate the immobility, swimming and climbing periods for each animal (mouse) and export your results to any software of your choice for further analysis. The scoring tool can be used for lab training and inter – operator scoring vs expert scoring.


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