Noradrenergic and serotonergic neuroendocrine responses in prepubertal, peripubertal, and postpubertal rats pretreated with desipramine and sertraline.
OBJECTIVE
To explore whether developmental status of neurotransmitter systems may affect response to antidepressant treatment. This study investigated whether younger animals, compared with mature animals, showed the same neuroendocrine response to challenge drug probes when pretreated with a serotonergic or noradrenergic antidepressant.


METHODS
Prepubertal, pubertal, and adult rats were pretreated with low- or high-dose sertraline or desipramine for 14 days. Animals were then challenged with a noradrenergic probe (clonidine for desipramine-treated animals) or a serotonergic probe (fenfluramine for sertraline-treated animals). The neurohormonal response of growth hormone to the clonidine challenge and prolactin to the fenfluramine challenge was then measured.


RESULTS
In animals challenged with fenfluramine, the postpubertal control group showed a significantly higher prolactin response to fenfluramine than postpubertal animals pretreated with low- or high-dose sertraline. No differences were found in the pubertal or prepubertal group. In animals challenged with clonidine, there was a significant age by treatment interaction effect for the prepubertal group pretreated with high doses of desipramine (less growth hormone secretion) but not for the peri- or postpubertal groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate neurodevelopmental factors may play a role in the functional physiology of neurotransmitter systems, which in turn may affect response to psychotropics.
Carrey
Normand J
NJ
Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Normand.Carrey@iwk.nshealth.ca
Dursun
Serdar
S
Clements
Robert
R
Renton
Ken
K
Waschbusch
Dan
D
MacMaster
Frank P
FP
D000818:Animals; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D003891:Desipramine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000187:drug effects*; D011292:Premedication; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic / Q000187:drug effects*; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000187:drug effects*; D020280:Sertraline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000187:drug effects*
D011941:Receptors, Adrenergic; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; D005277:Fenfluramine; D011388:Prolactin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D003000:Clonidine; D020280:Sertraline; D003891:Desipramine