Neurobehavioral teratogenic effects of clomipramine and alpha-methyldopa

Neonatal treatment of rats with centrally acting drugs such as clomipramine was shown to affect adult body and brain weight, behavior and sleep. We made a further study of the effects of clomipramine and tested one dose of alpha-methyldopa. Male rats were treated twice daily with saline, 7.5 or 15 mg/kg clomipramine or 100 mg/kg alpha-methyldopa from postnatal day 2-14 and tested in adulthood for effects on acquisition of radial maze behavior, on problem solving behavior in Hebb-Williams mazes, sexual performance and sleep-wake patterns. Clomipramine-treated rats had reduced body weight. No effects of neonatal drug treatment were found on several measures in the two mazes. Ejaculating rats in all three treatment groups showed longer latencies for sexual behavior and clomipramine-treated rats showed fewer ejaculations. Clomipramine-treated rats spent more time sleeping than the controls during the 24 hr sleep-wake recordings in adulthood.