Newborn Mice On Prozac Grow Up Depressed

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Sat, 18 Dec 2004 08:53:31 -0500

 

[sSRI-Research] Newborn Mice On Prozac Grow Up Depressed

 

Newborn Mice On Prozac Grow Up Depressed

 

Mice treated with the antidepressant Prozac early in life grow into

adults with emotional problems, concludes a report published in October.

 

Whether the drug has the same effect on people is unknown. But the

result will add to the growing debate over what risks Prozac

(fluoxetine) and similar SSRI drugs (selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors) pose for young children and unborn babies.

 

Researchers began injecting mice with fluoxetine four days after birth

until they were 21 days old. Nine weeks after their last injection,

the adult animals were given a series of behavioural tests designed to

assess their level of anxiety and depression.

 

The team found that rodents who received the drug as newborns were

more intimidated by new surroundings and moved more slowly to avoid

painful shocks compared to controls. " They are more inhibited in novel

situations, " says Gingrich. " Extrapolating to people, we'd say the

mice are showing symptoms of anxiety and depression or emotional

problems. "

 

" It's fascinating, " says Tim Oberlander, a developmental pediatrician

at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. " It

suggests these chemicals can cause crucial changes in the developing

brain. "

 

The use of SSRIs by pregnant women has been considered safe. For

example, studies have shown that these women give birth to babies of

normal weights, with unimpaired cognitive and language skills. But

more recent research has suggested these medications may cause subtle

neurological changes in the developing fetus.

 

Two years ago, for example, Oberlander and his colleagues reported

that babies exposed to SSRIs in the womb were less sensitive to pain.

Earlier in 2004, other researchers reported that SSRI-exposed infants

had altered sleep patterns and a higher incidence of tremors.

 

Journal reference: Science (vol 306, p 879)