Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Animal Models of Depression

Animal models of depression are experimental paradigms, most often using rodents, designed to reproduce features of human depressive disorders so that their biological basis can be studied and candidate treatments tested. Because depression is a subjective, human-defined syndrome, these models cannot capture it in f…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 6 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 11× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2476-1710 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Animal models of depression are experimental paradigms, most often using rodents, designed to reproduce features of human depressive disorders so that their biological basis can be studied and candidate treatments tested. Because depression is a subjective, human-defined syndrome, these models cannot capture it in full and instead aim to recapitulate measurable correlates assessed against criteria of validity: face validity, the resemblance of induced behaviors to depressive symptoms; construct validity, shared underlying mechanisms; and predictive validity, sensitivity to clinically effective antidepressants. Models are commonly produced by chronic or unpredictable stress, social defeat, early-life adversity, learned helplessness, or pharmacological and genetic manipulation, and read out through behavioral assays of anhedonia, behavioral despair, and altered motivation, complemented by biochemical and neuroendocrine measures such as stress-hormone signaling and markers of neuroplasticity. They have illuminated the roles of monoaminergic systems, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, inflammation, and synaptic mechanisms, and have supported the evaluation of agents ranging from classical antidepressants to rapid-acting compounds. Their limitations are well recognized: the difficulty of modeling complex cognitive and affective symptoms, species differences, and variable translation to clinical efficacy. Used alongside human research, animal models remain a key tool for dissecting the neurobiology of depression and for the preclinical development and mechanistic understanding of new therapeutic strategies.

Research published in this journal

6 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

2015

Epigenetics and Nutrition

Lundstrom KennethCorresponding author
PanTherapeuitcs, Rue des Remparts 4, CH1095 Lutry, Switzerland
International Journal of Nutrition Cited by 2 doi:10.14302/issn.2379-7835.ijn-14-603

How this research is being cited

The 6 articles above have been cited 11 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Animal Models of Depression, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Depression And Therapy (ISSN 2476-1710).

Journal editorial board
Ladislav Volicer · United States Roberto Maniglio · Italy

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.