France24: Crayfish take more risks while on antidepressants, study shows

[China]

Crayfish take more risks while on antidepressants, study shows

 

Crayfish exposed to antidepressants via contaminated water behave more "boldly," emerging from hiding more quickly and spending longer looking for food, a study said Tuesday.

 

The paper, published in the journal Ecosphere, highlights the unintended impacts human medicines can have in aquatic environments, as they alter food web dynamics and ecosystem processes.

 

"Our study is the first to look at how crayfish respond when exposed to antidepressants at levels typically found in the streams and ponds where they live," said lead author Alexander "AJ" Reisinger of the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

 

Antidepressants that are flushed directly or excreted in trace amounts eventually end up in the environment, either through leaky septic systems or through water treatment plants not designed to filter them out.

 

"Because they live in the water, animals like crayfish are regularly exposed to trace amounts of these drugs. We wanted to know how that might be affecting them," added Reisinger.

 

The team examined the impact of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of antidepressants that work by increasing levels of the "feel good" chemical serotonin in the brain.

 

Commonly prescribed SSRIs include fluoxetine, which goes by the trade name Prozac, and citalopram, also known as Celexa.

 

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Next month: Fish in proximity of crayfish on anti-depressants becoming obese as crayfish populations decline.

 

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