Inhibition of the serotonin transporter is a principal target of many antidepressants. Using genetic and pharmacological strategies, Ansorge et al. (see the news story by Holden) show that the serotonin transporter acts during development to establish normal emotional and anxiety-related behavior later in life. Transient exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac)--the most commonly used antidepressant--during early development produces abnormal emotional behavior in adult mice that mimics the behavior of mice lacking the serotonin transporter.
M. S. Ansorge, M. Zhou, A. Lira, R. Hen, J. A. Gingrich, Early-life blockade of the 5-HT transporter alters emotional behavior in adult mice. Science 306, 879-881 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]
C. Holden, Prozac treatment of newborn mice raises anxiety. Science 306, 792 (2004). [Summary] [Full Text]
