An optimized protocol for establishing a chronic stress model in mice.

Chronic stress has adverse consequences on many organ systems and physiological processes. However, existing protocols show large variability in response and are not suitable for female mice. Here, we provide a step-by-step protocol for establishing a reliable chronic stress model in mice that can be used in a variety of physiological settings. This protocol has been tested to be effective to produce a consistent response to stress in several mouse strains (C57BL/6J, 129X1/SvJ, B6.V-Lepob/J) and both sexes. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Ip et al. (2019).