Depression Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Depression, including details on clinical depression, medication, symptoms, treatment, counselling, therapy. | ||||||||
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Long-term behavioral changes after cessation of chronic antidepressant treatment in olfactory bulbectomized rats.Breuer ME, Groenink L, Oosting RS, Westenberg HG, Olivier B Utrecht University, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Department of Psychopharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. M.E.Breuer@pharm.uu.nl BACKGROUND: Olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) in rats causes several behavioral and neurochemical central nervous system changes, reminiscent of symptoms of human depression. Moreover, depression-like behavior after OBX can be reversed with antidepressant drugs. However, the lasting effects of these antidepressant drugs on behavior after cessation of treatment have never been studied. METHODS: Male rats received OBX or sham surgery. After recovery, animals received 14 consecutive daily doses of imipramine (20 mg/kg), escitalopram (5 and 10 mg/kg), or vehicle. Animals were tested in an open field after acute, sub-chronic, and chronic injections, as well as 1, 2, 6, and 10 weeks after cessation of treatment. RESULTS: The OBX-induced hyperactivity was normalized after sub-chronic administration of imipramine and escitalopram. Two weeks after treatment, activity of OBX animals was comparable to sham-treated animals, but after 6 weeks, OBX animals treated with both doses of escitalopram had returned to pre-treatment hyperactivity levels. The OBX animals treated with the high imipramine dose (20 mg/kg) retained activity levels comparable to sham-treated animals until 10 weeks after cessation of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic but not acute administration of imipramine and escitalopram normalizes OBX-induced hyperactivity. This effect continues for up to 10 weeks after cessation of treatment in a dose dependant manner. Published 2 April 2007 in Biol Psychiatry, 61(8): 990-5.
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