Background: In utero exposure to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI) is considered a risk factor for many neurodevelopmental diseases.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether prenatal SSRI exposure changes newborn brain chemistry.

Methods: An animal-based study was designed in which the utero SSRI exposed rat pups were compared to one without drug exposure. Neurochemical changes in the infants were assessed after 2 days of birth by estimating the levels of inflammatory cytokines, neurotransmitters, and caspases in the brain exposed to SSRI at the prenatal stage and compared to normal unexposed newborns.

Results: Our results showed significant neurochemical changes in SSRI-exposed newborns. A significant decrease in dopamine, and serotonin levels with a remarkable decrease in noradrenaline in addition to remarkable increase of IFN-γ and caspase-3 levels was observed in the brain tissues of prenatal exposed SSRIs rat pups.

Conclusion: The results suggest that prenatal SSRI treatment may affect brain development of newborn hence should be done warily during the gestation period.

背景：在子宫内暴露于选择性血清素再摄取抑制剂 (SSRI) 被认为是许多神经发育疾病的危险因素。

目的：本研究的目的是调查产前 SSRI 暴露是否会改变新生儿脑化学。

方法：设计了一项基于动物的研究，其中将子宫 SSRI 暴露的大鼠幼崽与未暴露于药物的幼崽进行比较。通过估计出生前暴露于 SSRI 的大脑中炎性细胞因子、神经递质和半胱天冬酶的水平，并与正常未暴露的新生儿进行比较，评估婴儿出生 2 天后的神经化学变化。

结果：我们的结果显示暴露于 SSRI 的新生儿出现显着的神经化学变化。在产前暴露的 SSRIs 大鼠幼崽的脑组织中观察到多巴胺和血清素水平显着下降，去甲肾上腺素显着下降，此外 IFN-γ 和 caspase-3 水平显着增加。

结论：结果表明，产前SSRI治疗可能会影响新生儿的大脑发育，因此在妊娠期应谨慎行事。