- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Physiology Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Prepare Now for the Career You Want
- Landing a Postdoctoral Researcher Position
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- 2024 Photo Gallery
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Keynote Speaker—Brian Kobilka, MD
- Keynote Speaker—Jessica Meir, PhD
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Off-site Summit Meetups
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Summit Store
- Travel & Transportation
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Liability Waiver
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Summit Store
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Augusta University
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Shreveport
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Saint Louis University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- The University of Mississippi Medical Center
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Florida
- University of Louisville
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Women's Health Research Initiative
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Rockville, Md. (November 14, 2023)—A new study finds that a commonly prescribed class of antidepressant drugs taken during pregnancy may affect digestive health in offspring later in life. The study is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. It was chosen as an APSselect article for November.
An estimated 10% of people use antidepressants during pregnancy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common type of antidepressant medications used during pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, use of SSRIs has been found to double the risk of congenital birth defects and has a lasting effect on children’s language skills and gastrointestinal function. This may be because 95% of the body’s serotonin—a chemical messenger that facilitates communication between the nervous system and the brain as well as enhances mood—is found in the gastrointestinal tract.
In this study, researchers used a rat model to explore whether exposure to the SSRI drug fluoxetine affected the offsprings’ gastrointestinal motility—how food moves the digestive system—and risk for developing colitis. Two groups of female rats were given cookie dough for two weeks before mating through when they weaned the rat pups at three weeks old. One group received fluoxetine in their treat, while the other group consisted of nonmedicated controls. This medication schedule “reflects real-world use of antidepressant therapy during pregnancy and lactation,” the researchers wrote.
The research team looked at tissue samples from the offsprings’ gastrointestinal tract as well as gene expression, intestinal motility and susceptibility for developing colitis at birth, at weaning and at 6 months of age. They found the levels of nerve cells that regulate the gastrointestinal (enteric) nervous system and coordinate motility were significantly increased in the offspring from medicated mothers at the height of drug exposure, which coincided with weaning. Serotonin signaling in the male offspring was altered as well. Signaling in the female offspring remained stable, but the females born to medicated mothers showed more frequent contractions of the colon compared to the control group. “These findings have the potential to be relevant to [irritable bowel syndrome], in which sex-dependent difference have also been noted,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers did not find an increased risk for colitis in the rats born to medicated mothers. However, they noted that “further clinical studies to better understand the relationship between [fluoxetine] exposure in utero and potential disease risk are thus of importance.”
Read the full article, “Effects of in utero exposure to fluoxetine on the gastrointestinal tract of rat offspring” published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology. The study is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program. Read all of this month’s selected research articles.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact APS Media Relations or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our Newsroom.
Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.
Related Content
- Robert Carroll Receives Inaugural APS Presidential Outstanding Service Award at American Physiology Summit
- APS Congratulates 2023 Nobel Laureates Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman
- Short On Time? A 15-minute Workout May Help Boost Your Immune System
- The Heart Grows More in Pregnant Rats with High Blood Pressure
- Childhood Trauma Linked to Reduced Vascular Function and Diminished Sleep Quality
- High-intensity Aerobic Exercise Helps Prevent Menopause-related Muscle Power Loss
- Women with Long COVID May Develop High Blood Pressure
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us.