Novelty-suppressed feeding test
The NSFT is most widely used to check the efficacy and efficiency of
chronic and sub-chronic antidepressant treatments in rodent
models(Blasco-Serra, Gonzalez-Soler et al., 2017). The test was
performed in an open field containing five to six food pellets placed in
the middle of the arena. Rats were deprived of food at least 24 h before
the test. After SPT, individual rats were placed in the corner of the
arena and allowed to explore it freely for 10 minutes. The latency for
the rat from leaving the corner of the arena to pick up food was
recorded. The latency to feed was measured up to 10 minutes. The
increase in latency to feed is considered a measure of anhedonia based
on food. After the NSFT, the rats were returned to their home cages and
allowed to eat food. Food consumption within 60 minutes across the
groups was recorded to exclude the non-specific ingestive behavior.