The sucrose preference test (or two-bottle choice) is a test for anhedonia, an indication of depressive-like behavior, in rodents.
This task assesses the animal’s interest in consuming a rewarding, sweet liquid. Mice are given one bottle of water and one bottle of sucrose (or similar) solution, and their preference for the rewarding solution is measured.
Procedure
For baseline measurements and acclimation to two bottles in the cage, animals are given 2 bottles of water placed in the wire rack on either side of the cage. Consumption of water is measured every 24 hours. Next, one bottle is filled with a sweet solution (usually 1-2% sucrose) and one bottle remains water. Consumption is measured every 24 hrs, and bottles are swapped from left to right side of the cage every 24 hrs.
Measures
Primary measure: % sucrose preference= volume of sucrose drank/total intake volume * 100
Please note: there will be a strong bias to drink from the bottle that sits on the side their water normally is placed. It is important to test across multiple days with the bottle on both sides of the cage to account for this bias.