Stress-sensitive antidepressant-like effects of ketamine in the mouse forced swim test
PLoS One April 15, 2019 P. Fitzgerald, Jessica Yen, B. Watson
A single injection of ketamine produces opposite behavioral effects in stressed versus unstressed male mice. In mice subjected to chronic mild stress and unpredictable chronic stress, ketamine (10 or 30 mg/kg) decreased immobility and increased swimming in the forced swim test 24 hours later, indicating antidepressant-like effects. In unstressed mice, however, ketamine increased immobility and reduced swimming, opposite to its effects in stressed animals. These results suggest that chronic psychological stress interacts with ketamine to modulate its effects, reinforcing the relevance of the forced swim test and this mouse strain for studying stress-induced depression.