{"id":2437,"date":"2024-02-20T09:20:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T14:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/haidut.me\/?p=2437"},"modified":"2024-02-20T09:20:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-20T14:20:53","slug":"elevated-serotonin-from-ssri-directly-damages-offspring-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/?p=2437","title":{"rendered":"Elevated serotonin (from SSRI) directly damages offspring brain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After decades of openly supporting the medical fraud related to the &#8220;happiness hormone&#8221; serotonin (5-HT), mainstream media is finally calling the spade a spade. Namely, that elevated extracellular serotonin due to SSRI use during pregnancy directly damages the offspring brain and puts it into a state of impaired neuronal maturation and chronic hyperexcitability. Sounds familiar? Yeah, it is basically a more technical definition of autism. Worse, the study found that SSRI\/serotonin can cause the same brain damage even after the baby is born by getting into the breast milk the baby consumes. While there have been many studies on the association between SSRI use during pregnancy and offspring autism, the study below is the first one that directly implicated 5-HT, the specific 5-HT receptors involved, as well as suggesting potential remedies. Namely, since serotonin exerted its neurotoxic effects through receptors 5-HT2 and 5-HT7, antagonists on those receptors may be able to prevent or even reverse the damage. Cyproheptadine is probably the most widely available chemical that blocks both types of receptors. Ergot derivatives such as bromocriptine, lisuride and metergoline are other options with a similar pharmacological profile. Finally, Benadryl (dyphenhydramine) is also a decent partial option as it is over-the-counter in many countries, but it only blocks the 5-HT2 family of receptors.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-45734-w\">https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-45734-w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;5-HTergic transmission is a critical mediator of PFC development, evidenced by a growing body of literature highlighting the long-term behavioral consequences of 5-HT imbalances during gestation and early postnatal life<sup><a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1853\" title=\"Boukhris, T., Sheehy, O., Mottron, L. &amp; Berard, A. Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children. JAMA Pediatr. 170, 117\u2013124 (2016).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR7\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 7\">7<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1856\" title=\"Ansorge, M. S., Zhou, M., Lira, A., Hen, R. &amp; Gingrich, J. A. Early-Life Blockade of the 5-HT Transporter Alters Emotional Behavior in Adult Mice. Science 306, 879\u2013881 (2004).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR9\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\">9<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1856_1\" title=\"Lesch, K. P. &amp; Waider, J. Serotonin in the modulation of neural plasticity and networks: implications for neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuron 76, 175\u2013191 (2012).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR10\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\">10<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1856_2\" title=\"Rebello, T. J. et al. Postnatal day 2 to 11 constitutes a 5-HT-sensitive period impacting adult mPFC function. J. Neurosci. 34, 12379\u201312393 (2014).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR11\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\">11<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1856_3\" title=\"Brummelte, S., Mc Glanaghy, E., Bonnin, A. &amp; Oberlander, T. F. Developmental changes in serotonin signaling: Implications for early brain function, behavior and adaptation. Neuroscience 342, 212\u2013231 (2017).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR12\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\">12<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1859\" title=\"Shah, R., Courtiol, E., Castellanos, F. X. &amp; Teixeira, C. M. Abnormal Serotonin Levels During Perinatal Development Lead to Behavioral Deficits in Adulthood. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 12, 114 (2018).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR13\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 13\">13<\/a><\/sup>. While it is widely accepted that 5-HT acts as a key neuromodulator regulating neuronal connectivity in the cortex<sup><a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1863\" title=\"Lesch, K. P. &amp; Waider, J. Serotonin in the modulation of neural plasticity and networks: implications for neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuron 76, 175\u2013191 (2012).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR10\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 10\">10<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1866\" title=\"Barnes, N. M. &amp; Sharp, T. A review of central 5-HT receptors and their function. Neuropharmacology 38, 1083\u20131152 (1999).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR26\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 26\">26<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1869\" title=\"Sargin, D., Jeoung, H. S., Goodfellow, N. M. &amp; Lambe, E. K. Serotonin Regulation of the Prefrontal Cortex: Cognitive Relevance and the Impact of Developmental Perturbation. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 10, 3078\u20133093 (2019).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR30\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 30\">30<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1872\" title=\"Sharp, T. &amp; Barnes, N. M. Central 5-HT receptors and their function; present and future. Neuropharmacology 177, 108155 (2020).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR31\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 31\">31<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e1875\" title=\"Puig, M. V. &amp; Gulledge, A. T. Serotonin and prefrontal cortex function: neurons, networks, and circuits. Mol. Neurobiol. 44, 449\u2013464 (2011).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR42\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 42\">42<\/a><\/sup>, the underlying synaptic mechanisms remain unclear. We demonstrate <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>a synapse-specific role for 5-HTergic signaling in excitatory synapse maturation during the critical period of circuit formation in early PFC development<\/strong><\/span>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;Third, while our uncaging experiments elucidate <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>glutamatergic-independent mechanisms of 5-HT-mediated plasticity on PFC slices<\/strong><\/span>, our work does not exclude a possible contribution of glutamatergic signaling after 5-HTergic neuron manipulations in vivo. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Potential co-release of glutamate or varied levels of glutamatergic signaling throughout the PFC could explain the functional <span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">excitatory changes<\/span> observed<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;Taken together, we clarify the cellular and molecular basis of 5-HT-dependent plasticity at the level of single dendritic spines and highlight the significance of 5-HT neuromodulation in shaping PFC circuitry during early brain development. SSRIs such as FLX are commonly taken throughout the world by pregnant people, affecting 5-HTergic signaling in offspring<sup><a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e2071\" title=\"Boukhris, T., Sheehy, O., Mottron, L. &amp; Berard, A. Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children. JAMA Pediatr. 170, 117\u2013124 (2016).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR7\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 7\">7<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e2074\" title=\"Kim, J. Y. et al. Environmental risk factors and biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder: an umbrella review of the evidence. Lancet Psychiatry 6, 590\u2013600 (2019).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR8\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 8\">8<\/a><\/sup>. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Infants born following perinatal exposure to SSRIs have a higher risk for neurodevelopmental disorders<\/strong><\/span><sup><a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e2078\" title=\"Boukhris, T., Sheehy, O., Mottron, L. &amp; Berard, A. Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children. JAMA Pediatr. 170, 117\u2013124 (2016).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR7\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 7\">7<\/a>,<a id=\"ref-link-section-d4525610e2081\" title=\"Kim, J. Y. et al. Environmental risk factors and biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder: an umbrella review of the evidence. Lancet Psychiatry 6, 590\u2013600 (2019).\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-45734-w#ref-CR8\" data-track=\"click\" data-track-action=\"reference anchor\" data-track-label=\"link\" data-test=\"citation-ref\" aria-label=\"Reference 8\">8<\/a><\/sup>, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Our findings provide experimental evidence that postnatally <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>FLX-treated animals exhibit <span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">deficits in synapse maturation<\/span> in the PFC via 5-HTergic activities resulting from enhanced 5-HT2A and 5-HT7 receptor signaling<\/strong><\/span>.\u00a0&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-13092429\/Antidepressants-taken-400-000-pregnant-women-year-damage-babys-brain-womb-increase-risk-mental-health-problems-future-study-suggests.html\">https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-13092429\/Antidepressants-taken-400-000-pregnant-women-year-damage-babys-brain-womb-increase-risk-mental-health-problems-future-study-suggests.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;&#8230;<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>Using antidepressants during pregnancy or while breastfeeding can damage a baby\u2019s brain and increase their risk of suffering mental health problems in the future<\/strong><\/span>, a study found. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">Prozac<\/span>, also known as <span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">fluoxetine<\/span><\/strong><\/span>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>increases levels of mood-boosting <span style=\"color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;\">serotonin<\/span> in the brain<\/strong><\/span> &#8211; but scientists discovered <strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">this can affect a child\u2019s developing prefrontal cortex.<\/span> They also found the drug can pass into the breast milk of new mothers who take it and end up being fed to newborns<\/strong>. Research suggest that between 300,000 and 400,000 kids are being exposed to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor<span data-track-module=\"internal-body-link\"><a class=\"class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/health\/article-12409519\/chemically-castrated-patient-warns-against-SSRI.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0(SSRI) drugs<\/a><\/span> each year in the US during pregnancy. Professor Won Chan Oh, of the University of\u00a0<span data-track-module=\"internal-body-link\"><a id=\"mol-859daae0-ccdf-11ee-9e6c-4bcee3317024\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/colorado\/index.html\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener\">Colorado<\/a><\/span>, said: \u2018We are the <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>first to provide experimental evidence of the direct impact of serotonin on the developing prefrontal cortex when fluoxetine is taken during pregnancy<\/strong><\/span>.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After decades of openly supporting the medical fraud related to the &#8220;happiness hormone&#8221; serotonin (5-HT), mainstream media&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[192,156,138,198,92,197,47,191],"class_list":["post-2437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science","tag-5-ht","tag-autism","tag-brain","tag-fluoxetine","tag-pregnancy","tag-prozac","tag-serotonin","tag-ssri","wpcat-2-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2437"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2438,"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2437\/revisions\/2438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/haidut.me\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}