Developmental outcomes after gestational antidepressant treatment with sertraline and its discontinuation in an animal model of maternal depression.

This study utilized a translational animal model of maternal depression (based on giving high levels of corticosterone (CORT, 40mg/kg, s.c.) or vehicle (Oil) for 21 days prior to conception) to investigate the effects of sertraline (a frequently prescribed SSRI; 20mg/kg p.o., treatment started ∼7 days prior to conception) and its discontinuation during pregnancy (on gestational day 16) compared to vehicle (water) treatment on the development of the offspring. Our results revealed that both corticosterone exposure prior to pregnancy and sertraline administration and its discontinuation during gestation had sex-specific effects on behavior in the adult offspring. In particular, pre-conceptional maternal corticosterone treatment impacted the stress response, anxiety-like behavior and cognitive performance in adult female offspring, while gestational SSRI exposure and its discontinuation compared to full-term exposure affected impulsivity in females, and exploratory behavior in males. More research is needed on the effects of exposure to antidepressant medication and its discontinuation compared to depression during pregnancy and how each impacts development to better help women make informed decisions about their medication use during pregnancy. PMID: 30836156 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Behavioural Brain Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Behav Brain Res Source Type: research