Behavioural changes in rats after prenatal administration of typical and atypical antidepressants

Prenatal administration of typical (desipramine, DMI) and atypical (viloxazine, VX and mianserin, MS) antidepressants, at dose levels which do not influence reproductive success or neonatal mortality, produces subtle behavioural changes in offspring of treated rats. Physical signs, such as pinna detachment (unfolding of external ear) and eye opening, were not modified by prenatal exposure to any of the antidepressants tested. However, at 23 days of age, DMI, MS and VX (only in males) pretreated rats showed higher levels of locomotor activity with respect to the control group. At 60 days of age, locomotor activity levels in DMI-exposed animals were still higher than in the saline-pretreated rats.