Hypotension induced depressive behavior in adult mice is ameliorated by the COX-2 inhibitor meloxicam

There were no statistical differences in total fluid consumption by time of treatment. Introduction: •Mood disorders are related to both cognitive dysfunction (CD) and inflammation. Hypotension has been implicated in the development of CD following acute nitroglycerin (NTG) induced hypotension to below the level of cerebral blood flow autoregulation1. Hypotension may also associated with depression2. •Anhedonia, a hallmark of depression, may contribute to poor performance on cognitive tests. We hypothesized that anhedonia may occur after acute NTG induced hypotension and that the anti-inflammatory drug, meloxicam, a COX-2 inhibitor, would lessen the effects of hypotension by reducing the inflammatory response. •Sucrose preference testing in rodents is a standardized measure of anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure in formally pleasurable activities.