The effect of antidepressant treatment during pregnancy on social behaviour in the offspring

Depressive symptoms frequently occur during pregnancy and may have a tremendous impact on the developing child. Unfortunately, pharmacological antidepressant treatments during pregnancy can negatively impact behavioral development and health of the offspring. We have recently found that antenatal depression and antidepressant exposure during pregnancy has an influence on the gene expression of the placenta [1]. About 20% of the altered genes in the placenta were overlapping between the antenatal depression and the antidepressant drug use during pregnancy groups [1]. It remains to be established how these differentially affected genes influence the development of the child, and whether these differences are found in the fetus as well. Serotonin is well known for its role in depression and autism. It has been shown that children from mothers which used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (commonly used antidepressant during pregnancy) have a higher risk for autism traits. In humans it is difficult to discern between the effects of the drug and the effects of the depression itself, therefore it is unclear whether children exposed to antidepressants in utero are at increased risks. Therefore in this study we used rats with diminished serotonin transporter expression, combined with early life stress, as a model for antenatal depression