Comparative effects of fluoxetine, amitriptyline and serotonin on functional motor recovery after sensorimotor cortex injury.

A recent investigation of the effects of the antidepressants desipramine and trazodone on behavioral recovery in brain-injured animals suggested that antidepressants, which act to increase noradrenergic activity in the brain, may facilitate the rate of recovery, whereas those that act to increase serotonergic (5-HT) activity may hinder recovery and reinstate deficits in recovered animals. The present study was designed to evaluate these findings further by assessing the effect of a single intraperitoneal injection of fluoxetine (a relatively pure 5-HT reuptake blocker), amitriptyline (a mixed 5-HT and noradrenergic reuptake blocker with alpha 1-adrenergic receptor blocking activity) or a single intraventricular infusion of 5-HT on recovery of beam-walking ability in animals with a unilateral sensorimotor cortex injury. None of the drugs significantly affected the rate of recovery. Although fluoxetine was ineffective in reinstating the motor deficit in recovered animals, amitriptyline reinstated the deficit in a dose-dependent fashion. Infusion of 5-HT resulted in an extremely transient reinstatement of the deficit, which was largely attributable to its short-term sedative properties. These results suggest that 5-HT may be less involved in functional recovery than previously thought. They also add further support to previous findings that indicate that drugs which act to antagonize alpha 1-adrenergic activity (e.g., phenoxybenzamine) may interfere with motor recovery after sensorimotor cortex injury. An appreciation of the potential impact of certain antidepressants on functional recovery in brain-injured patients appears warranted.