Immediate Effects of Maternal Deprivation on the LHPA Axis of the Developing Rat: consequences of Desipramine and Fluoxetine Treatment
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Authors
Ghazi, Natasha
Issue Date
1999
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Numerous behavioral, endocrine and clinical studies have shown that physical and
psychological stressors can profoundly alter an organism's growth and
development. The stress limbic-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (LHPA) axis and
the serotonin (5-HT) system are two biological pathways implicated in anxiety and
depression. Antidepressants are thought to function, in part, by acting upon these
systems. In this study, we investigated the effects of the antidepressants,
desipramine and fluoxetine, on the LHP A axis of maternally deprived rat pups. We
hypothesized that desipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant and norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitor, would blunt the LHPA response, while fluoxetine, a selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitor, would have no significant effect. Animals were
treated with vehicle, desipramine or fluoxetine for seven days prior to maternal
deprivation. Corticosterone levels were used as a measure of LHPA activity, while
weight and linear growth were used to determine the effects of the drugs on somatic
growth. Our findings showed that desipramine was effective in preventing the
stress-related corticosterone elevation of maternally deprived rat pups, but it also
had a detrimental effect on the physical growth of the pups. Fluoxetine was neither
effective in preventing the stress-related corticosterone elevation, nor did it have a
significant detrimental effect on physical growth. The effects of the antidepressants
on the corticosterone response of the maternally deprived rats indicates that the
stress paradigm used is more closely linked to catecholaminergic than serotonergic
mechanisms. Further studies, using longer durations of treatment, are needed to
better determine the clinical applications of using antidepressants for the prevention
of psycopathology.
Description
vi, 29 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.