Repeated paroxetine treatment reverses anhedonia induced in rats by chronic mild stress or dexamethasone

The present study was designed to assess the effect of dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid receptor agonist, in the sucrose preference test in rats. Rats treated acutely with dexamethasone (5–10 mg/kg) showed a significant decrease in sucrose preference (anhedonia) in comparison to vehicle treated rats, although 1 mg/kg dexamethasone did not alter the sucrose preference. Daily paroxetine treatment (10 g/kg, i.p., 14 days) reversed the anhedonic effect of acute dexamethasone (5 mg/kg), while causing no increased sucrose preference in rats that received dexamethasone vehicle. The paroxetine vehicle treated rats showed anhedonia even 14 days after acute dexamethasone administration. Paroxetine (10 mk/kg, i.p. for 28 days) also reversed anhedonia induced by chronic mild stress (8 weeks). In conclusion, acute dexamethasone induced an enduring anhedonic state that was reversed by repeated paroxetine treatment. Thus, the present study adds new data to the evidence supporting an important role for glucocorticoid in depression.