Rats Display Autism Symptoms Triggered by Antidepressant Use

In a new investigation conducted at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, researchers discovered that young lab rats who were given antidepressants commonly used by human patients tended to start displaying brain abnormalities and behaviors that appear in autism spectrum disorders

Experts interpret the findings as showing that mothers using a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during pregnancy put their kids at an increased risk of children developmental disorders later on.

“We saw behaviors in the treated rats and neurological problems that indicate their brains are not properly conducting and processing information,” UMMC professor of neurobiology and anatomical scienceRick C.S. Lin, PhD, explains. He was also the principal investigator on the new study, PsychCentral reports.