UC Davis

Fluoxetine (Prozac™) is the only antidepressant approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) in children. Despite its considerable efficacy as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, the possible long-term effects of fluoxetine on brain development in children are poorly understood. In the current study, we aimed to delineate molecular mechanisms and protein biomarkers in the brains of juvenile rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) one year after the discontinuation of fluoxetine treatment using proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiling. We identified several differences in protein expression and phosphorylation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and cingulate cortex (CC) that correlated with impulsivity in animals, suggesting that the GABAergic synapse pathway may be affected by fluoxetine treatment. Biomarkers in combination with the identified pathways contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying the chronic effects of fluoxetine after discontinuation in children.