Antidepressants differentially modify the extinction of an aversive memory task in female rats

• Published in: Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 33 - 40
• Main Authors: Melo, Thieza G., Izídio, Geison S., Ferreira, Luane S., Sousa, Diego S., Macedo, Priscila T., Cabral, Alícia, Ribeiro, Alessandra M., Silva, Regina H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 27-04-2012
• Subjects: Animals; Antidepressants; Antidepressive Agents - pharmacology; Antidepressive Agents - therapeutic use; Anxiety - drug therapy; Anxiety - psychology; Aversive memory; Avoidance Learning - drug effects; Avoidance Learning - physiology; Behavioral despair; Cognitive ability; Depression; Extinction; Extinction, Psychological - drug effects; Extinction, Psychological - physiology; Female; Fluoxetine; Fluoxetine - pharmacology; Fluoxetine - therapeutic use; Learning; Maze Learning - drug effects; Maze Learning - physiology; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Memory - physiology; Mianserin - analogs & derivatives; Mianserin - pharmacology; Mianserin - therapeutic use; Mirtazapine; Mood; Nortriptyline; Nortriptyline - pharmacology; Nortriptyline - therapeutic use; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Psychomotor Performance - drug effects; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Psychopathology; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Swimming; Nortriptyline; NAV; Fluoxetine; FST; Nort; TOA; TAV; Depression; PMDAT; SSRI; AV; Fluox; EOA; Mir; Vehi; Mirtazapine; Aversive memory
• ISSN: 0278-5846; 1878-4216
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2012.01.012

Treatment of major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychopathologies with antidepressants can be associated with improvement of the cognitive deficits related to these disorders. Although the mechanisms of these effects are not completely elucidated, alterations in the extinction of aversive memories are believed to play a role in these psychopathologies. We have recently verified that female rats present low levels of extinction when submitted to the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task. In the present study, female rats were treated long term with clinically used antidepressants (fluoxetine, nortriptyline or mirtazapine) and subjected to the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task to evaluate learning, memory, extinction and anxiety-related behaviors as well as behavioral despair in the forced swimming test. All groups learned the task and exhibited retrieval. Chronic treatment with fluoxetine (but not with the other antidepressants tested) increased extinction of the discriminative task. In the forced swimming test, the animals treated with fluoxetine and mirtazapine showed decreased immobility duration. In conclusion, fluoxetine potentiated extinction, while both fluoxetine and mirtazapine were effective in ameliorating depressive-like behavior in the forced swimming test, suggesting a possible dissociation between the effects on mood and the extinction of aversive memories in female rats.
► Fluoxetine potentiates the extinction of an aversive task in female rats. ► Treatment with antidepressants did not modify anxiety-like behavior. ► Amelioration of mood-related behavior is dissociated from the effects on extinction.