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Effect of maternal depression and sertraline on functional development of the brain and behavior of rat offspring

Animal physiology

RNDr. Michal Dubovický, CSc.

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Faculty of Natural Sciences Comenius University

Depressive disorders affect around 20% of women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The most commonly prescribed antidepressants during pregnancy are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, the safety of their use in the therapy of maternal depression is controversial. The American "Food and Drug Administration" classifies these antidepressants in drug category C, which means that there is currently not enough of "well-controlled" studies that would evaluate the risk of their administration to pregnant and lactating women. We will focus on the research of sertraline and its possible adverse (or possibly medicinal) effects on brain development and the behavior of the offspring of rats when it is administered to pregnant females alone or in combination with induced maternal depression. With this research, we want to contribute to a more comprehensive characterization of the drug in terms of the safety of its use in the therapy of maternal depression.