ABS 2023
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Exposure to Citalopram Impact Fear and Loathing in Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promelas)
Leah A. Turner, Jessica Ward. Ball State University , Muncie, IN, United States

A growing number of active pharmaceutical ingredients are entering the waterways, but the impacts of these contaminants at the population level are not fully known. Citalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that has been shown to have adverse effects on juvenile and adult fish, but little is known about how exposure to citalopram during embryogenesis and larval development alters innate behaviors, such as conspecific shoaling preferences and fear responses. However, such changes are important because they directly correlate with the likelihood of survival.�We conducted a factorial experiment that systematically varied the timing of exposure to citalopram during the embryonic and larval stages of development, and tested embryos in activity assays and larvae in a social shoaling preference assay and a light-dark preference (fear response) assay. Embryos exposed to citalopram show higher inactivity and lower burst activity, and larvae showed heightened risk-taking tendencies and decreased shoaling tendencies.�This research helps fill gaps in understanding how developmental exposure to SSRIs affects the behavior of animals in affected waterways.