Tolcapone: a potential new antidepressant detected in a novel animal model of depression.

The potential antidepressant properties of tolcapone, a new catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitor, were investigated in a novel animal model of depression. Chronic mild stress (CMS)-induced anhedonia in rats is recognized as a model of depression with predictive and etiological validity. Here, the effects of CMS on the hedonic state of animals were assessed using a self-stimulation paradigm in which rats self-activate the ventral tegmental area.