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Review
. 2024 Sep 3;14(9):1110.
doi: 10.3390/life14091110.

Advancing Post-Stroke Depression Research: Insights from Murine Models and Behavioral Analyses

Mădălina Iuliana Mușat  1 , Bogdan Cătălin  1 , Michael Hadjiargyrou  2 , Aurel Popa-Wagner  1   3 , Andrei Greșiță  1   4
Affiliations
Review

Advancing Post-Stroke Depression Research: Insights from Murine Models and Behavioral Analyses

Mădălina Iuliana Mușat et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

Post-stroke depression (PSD) represents a significant neuropsychiatric complication that affects between 39% and 52% of stroke survivors, leading to impaired recovery, decreased quality of life, and increased mortality. This comprehensive review synthesizes our current knowledge of PSD, encompassing its epidemiology, risk factors, underlying neurochemical mechanisms, and the existing tools for preclinical investigation, including animal models and behavioral analyses. Despite the high prevalence and severe impact of PSD, challenges persist in accurately modeling its complex symptomatology in preclinical settings, underscoring the need for robust and valid animal models to better understand and treat PSD. This review also highlights the multidimensional nature of PSD, where both biological and psychosocial factors interplay to influence its onset and course. Further, we examine the efficacy and limitations of the current animal models in mimicking the human PSD condition, along with behavioral tests used to evaluate depressive-like behaviors in rodents. This review also sets a new precedent by integrating the latest findings across multidisciplinary studies, thereby offering a unique and comprehensive perspective of existing knowledge. Finally, the development of more sophisticated models that closely replicate the clinical features of PSD is crucial in order to advance translational research and facilitate the discovery of future effective therapies.

Keywords: antidepressants; behavioral tests; cognition; motor function; murine models of depression; post-stroke depression; social activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the literature search using PubMed.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Diagram showing risk factors associated with PSD. Serotonin transporter (SERT), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BNF), apolipoprotein E (ApoE), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and Protein Kinase C Eta Gene (PRKCH).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Diagram showing murine models of PSD. Bilateral Common Carotid Artery Occlusion (BCCAO), chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO), 5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, serotonin), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Behavioral assessment methods for post-stroke depression in rodent models.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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