Effects of Antidepressants on the EEG of the Rat

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Abstract
Whether antidepressants cause specific EEG effects in rats was studied. The results presented are based on quantitative evaluation of a series of 6-min vigilance-controlled EEG recordings in rats under standardized conditions. Standard conditions comprised a vigilance control, a rigid test procedure in which drugs and rats are divided according to a Greek-Latin square, and the same electrode placement. Computer analyses are based on an analysis of variance for which the averaged power spectral values are used as input. The use of a moving window technique in this type of EEG studies is introduced in comparison to the well-known use of fixed frequency bands. A number of antidepressants [amitriptyline, chlorimipramine, chlordiazepoxide, d-amphetamine, fluvoxamine maleate, haloperidol, imipramine, iprindole and mianserin] were tested and several common characteristics are found.