title: Testosterone and imipramine have antidepressant effects in socially isolated male but not female rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Affective disorders are twice as likely to occur in women as they are in men suggesting a critical role for gonadal hormones in their etiology. In particular, testosterone has been shown to have protective effects in men.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate antidepressant effects and interactions between testosterone and imipramine in socially isolated male and female rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  A chronic social isolation model was used to induce an anxiety and depressive-like state in adult gonadectomized (Gnx) male and ovariectomized (Ovx) female rats receiving chronic testosterone and imipramine treatments. Their anxiety and depression-like behaviors were examined using the light-dark box, elevated plus maze, open field, sucrose preference and novelty induced hypophagia tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In socially isolated rats, the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of testosterone and imipramine were limited to male rats. Additionally, testosterone enhanced the neurogenic effect of imipramine on hippocampal cell proliferation in male rats. Although female rats exhibited signs of anxiety and depressive-like behaviors following social isolation, testosterone and/or imipramine administration had no anxiolytic or antidepressant effects in Ovx females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Testosterone and imipramine had anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in socially isolated male, but not female rats. Testosterone enhanced the effect of imipramine on cell proliferation in the hippocampus of male rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Program in Neurosciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, 32306, USA
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carrier
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kabbaj
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D002369:Castration; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054928:Validation Studies as Topic
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D013739:Testosterone; D007099:Imipramine