Citalopram, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor, and brain ischemia in SHR.

The effects of citalopram, a serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitor, on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and concentration of 5-HT and its metabolite were investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) subjected to forebrain ischemia. Cerebral ischemia was induced by bilateral carotid artery occlusion. The concentration of the 5-HT metabolite, 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), increased during cerebral ischemia in most brain regions examined, while that of 5-HT increased only in the frontal cortex and the striatum. Citalopram restored the 5-HIAA concentrations to the preischemic normal levels. Citalopram had no effect on the cortical CBF, before and during ischemia. These results suggest that citalopram attenuates ischemia-induced hypermetabolism of 5-HT in the brain. The effects of citalopram are independent of hemodymanic factors including cerebral blood flow, and are likely to be mediated by a direct inhibition of the neuronal 5-HT reuptake system.