Endpoint methods library
Reward and anhedonia endpoint

Sucrose preference

Percentage of total fluid intake consumed from a sucrose solution during a two-bottle or equivalent preference test.

Unit
percent of total fluid intake
Readout
Sucrose intake divided by total sucrose plus water intake, multiplied by 100
Assays
Chronic mild stress, social defeat, withdrawal, depression-like behavior, reward sensitivity

Decision summary

Use sucrose preference when the study needs a natural reward or anhedonia-related readout. The endpoint should be interpreted with total fluid intake, body weight, bottle position, water deprivation, taste sensitivity, metabolic state, and stress protocol details visible beside the preference percentage.

Primary valueSucrose intake divided by total sucrose plus water intake, multiplied by 100
Common unitsPercent preference, grams or milliliters consumed, intake per body weight
Compatible assaysChronic mild stress, social defeat, withdrawal, depression-like behavior, reward sensitivity
Required boundarySucrose concentration, test duration, bottle position handling, and intake correction
Do not infer aloneDepression, pleasure, motivation, appetite, metabolic health, or taste sensitivity

Measurement notes

Record sucrose and water intake separately, correct for leakage or evaporation when possible, and counterbalance bottle positions. Preference percentage should be interpreted alongside total intake and body weight because a stable ratio can hide reduced drinking.

Interpretation limit

Lower preference can support an anhedonia-related phenotype, but it can also reflect dehydration, illness, altered taste, neophobia, stress from single housing, bottle leakage, side bias, metabolic changes, or reduced total intake.

Data capture

Store animal ID, bottle side, sucrose concentration, test duration, sucrose intake, water intake, total intake, preference percent, body weight, deprivation status, leakage control, and exclusion notes.

Confound checks
  • Bottle side bias, leakage, evaporation, or inaccurate weighing.
  • Reduced total fluid intake, body weight loss, dehydration, or illness.
  • Sucrose concentration, water restriction, test duration, or housing changes.
  • Taste perception, diet, metabolic state, sex, strain, and age.
  • Stress protocol timing or neophobia changing drinking independently of reward sensitivity.
Reporting checklist
  • Sucrose concentration, test duration, bottle type, and position counterbalancing.
  • Baseline preference, deprivation status, habituation, and housing conditions.
  • Sucrose intake, water intake, total intake, preference percent, and body weight.
  • Leakage or evaporation controls and exclusion rules for bottle malfunction.
  • Stress or treatment timeline relative to testing.
  • Companion endpoints such as body weight, locomotion, forced swim, social interaction, or feeding.
References

Evidence notes

Endpoint pages should cite the method literature behind the scored value and keep high-specificity protocol claims qualified unless the source supports them.

  1. Willner P, Muscat R, Papp M. Chronic mild stress-induced anhedonia: a realistic animal model of depression. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1992.
  2. Peng Z et al. A computational analysis of mouse behavior in the sucrose preference test. Nat Commun. 2023. doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38028-0.

Related workflow paths

Endpoint articles link to adjacent products, software workflows, and sibling endpoints where the connection is useful and already routable.

Sucrose preference test calculator

Compute preference percentage, total intake, and threshold flags from bottle weights.

Sucrose preference apparatus

Two-bottle choice setup for reward and anhedonia-related experiments.

ConductVision sucrose preference

Video and workflow context for sucrose preference studies.