Behavioral Observation and Analysis of PMS Liver-qi Depression Rat Model Established by Chronic Restraint Stress and Resident-Intruder Paradigm

This study was aimed at investigating the feasibility of establishing premenstrual syndrome (PMS) liver-qi depression rat model with resident-intruder paradigm compared to chronic restraint stress. The PMS liver-qi depression rat model was prepared with chronic restraint stress and resident-intruder paradigm. The effect was systematically evaluated through behavioral methods such as open-field test and tail suspension test. Then, results from both groups were compared. The results showed that both chronic restraint stress and resident-intruder paradigm can effectively simulate the state of premenstrual depression and postmenstrual disappearance. The results of the open-field test suggested that there was no significant difference between these two methods (P > 0.05). It was concluded that as a social psychological stress method the resident-intruder paradigm can preferably simulate the process of clinical PMS liver-qi depression caused by emotional abnormality and overcome the disadvantage of obvious body stress of the chronic restraint stress method. But the success ratio was too low, and further inspection was needed to examine its stability.