Neurofunctional effects in rats prenatally exposed to fluoxetine.

In the treatment of depression fluoxetine (a selective serotonine reuptake in- hibitor (SSRIs)) is a widely used drug in hu- mans. The selectivity, efficacy, side effects and simplicity of dosage contributed to fluoxetine's clinical acceptance. Several psychiatric disor- ders (many of them responsive to SSRIs) are present during pregnancy; up to 10% of preg- nant women fulfill diagnostic criteria for major or minor depression with an even higher per- centage developing postpartum depression. Therefore, significant numbers of women may be taking SSRIs while pregnant. Since fluox- etine's safe use during pregnancy is not yet es- tablished and experimental studies inconclu- sive, we performed the present research in order to investigate the neurobehavioral effects pro- duced in rats by prenatal exposure to fluoxetine (5 and 10 mg/kg/sc from day 13 to 20 of gesta- tion) on cognitive functions, emotional reactivity and sexual performance.