Chronic exposure to fluoxetine during pre-puberty impairs rat social interaction.

CODAGNONE M; REINÉS A; UCCELLI NA; TRAETTA ME

Buenos Aires

Congreso; 2nd FALAN congress; 2016

FALAN

Fluoxetine (F), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), has been approved to treat major depressive and obsessive compulsive disorders in pediatric patients along with some off-label uses. Several concerns were raised when it was determined that F could lead children to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Although well characterized for adults, little is known about the effect of F on pediatric patients. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of early exposure to F on social interaction. Male Wistar rats were daily administrated (sc.) with F (10 mg/kg) or saline (S) between postnatal days (PND) 16-30 and behaviorally evaluated at PND 30-35. Concerning social play behavior, F animals evidenced a dramatic reduction in the number of pinnings as well as an increased latency to the first of these activities. Furthermore, F reduced the frequency and delayed the sniffing and the following/approaching of the partner. In addition, F increased the latency to the first mounting/climbing event. Regarding other activities, F animals evidenced more stereotypical episodes than S but showed similar locomotor and exploratory performances. Pre-puberal rat exposure to F targets social interaction and impairs play behavior, the first non-maternal social interaction. These results highlight the time exposure window as a critical factor for F pharmacological outcome.