Sucrose Preference Test Calculator

Enter sucrose and water intake, compute preference percent, total intake, 65% anhedonia flags, start-side bias checks, group SEM, and CSV export.

Preference %65% CutoffSide-Bias Check

Sucrose preference table

Enter sucrose and water intake from each animal's two-bottle session. Preference below 65% is flagged as the conventional anhedonia threshold.

AnimalGroupSucrose (mL)Water (mL)Start sideBody weight (g)Flag
OK
OK
Below 65%
Below 65%
2 animals are below the 65% anhedonia threshold. Confirm that total intake, deprivation schedule, leakage checks, and bottle-side counterbalancing match the protocol before interpreting group effects.

Animal summary

AnimalGroupPreferenceTotal intakeIntake per 100 g
M1vehicle79.2%24.0 mL96.0
M2vehicle83.3%24.0 mL92.3
M3CMS45.0%20.0 mL83.3
M4CMS50.0%20.0 mL87.0

Group sucrose preference

Start-side preference check

Side-bias warning for CMS. The start-left and start-right summaries cross a major interpretation threshold, so bottle position could be confounded with group preference.
  • Compute sucrose preference percent from two-bottle choice intake
  • Flag animals below the 65% anhedonia cutoff
  • Compare chronic stress, drug, genotype, or rescue groups with SEM
  • Check whether sucrose start side changes group preference
  • Export animal-level SPT results for Prism, R, or Python

Don't use for

  • Operant sucrose self-administration schedules
  • Real-time lickometer analysis
  • Group-housed drinking sessions where individual intake cannot be assigned

Resources

  • Sucrose concentration fixed before study start
  • Two-bottle habituation completed
  • Bottle side counterbalanced or rotated
  • Leakage controls checked
  • Individual animal intake recorded
  • Body weight recorded if stress affects weight
  • Measurement window matched across groups

What Is the Sucrose Preference Test?

The sucrose preference test gives each animal access to sucrose solution and water, then measures the relative intake of each bottle. Healthy rodents usually prefer sweet solution. Stress or depression-like states can reduce that preference.

This calculator computes preference percent from animal-level intake, flags animals below the conventional 65% anhedonia cutoff, and shows whether bottle start side may be influencing the readout.

Metrics and Math

Sucrose preference percent equals sucrose intake divided by sucrose plus water intake, multiplied by 100. Total intake is sucrose plus water. If body weight is entered, total intake is also normalized as milliliters per 100 grams.

Group summaries use animal-level preference percent values and report mean plus SEM. The side-bias chart separately summarizes animals that started with sucrose on the left or right.

Best Practices

Use matched bottles, check for leakage, counterbalance sucrose bottle side, and run animals at the same circadian phase. Individual housing is usually required during measurement so intake can be assigned to one animal.

Review total intake before interpreting low preference. Very low total drinking can reflect dehydration, illness, bottle malfunction, or insufficient habituation rather than a clean anhedonia signal.

Frequently Asked Questions