Effects of venlafaxine on the central serotoninergic system and behavior of female mice subjected to chronic social instability stress

Abstract

Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression, and are also more frequently prescribed antidepressant treatments. This sexual disparity is also observable in effectiveness of treatments. Despite this fact, most studies that have used animal models to determine the physiological mechanisms implicated in depression and to develop specific drugs for their treatment have been performed in males. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the serotonine and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor venlafaxine on the behavior and central serotoninergic pathways of female mice subjected to chronic social instability stress.