Bupropion induces social anxiety in adolescent mice: Influence of housing conditions

Background the antidepressant bupropion has received increasing attention as a pharmacological tool to treat addiction although little is known about its effects on social behaviour in adolescents. the present study aimed to evaluate if environmental housing conditions influence bupropion's actions on social behaviour of adolescent mice. methods mice were either group- or individually housed for 2-weeks and then randomly divided into 2 cohorts: half of the mice remained in the initial housing condition and the other half were changed to isolated conditions for further 2-weeks. the following groups were compared: isolated/isolated (iso/iso),isolated/group-housed (iso/gr),group-housed/isolated (gr/iso),and group-housed/group-housed (gr/gr). the effects of bupropion (40,20,10 mg/kg) or saline on social interaction were assessed for each housing condition. social encounters were evaluated using ethological analysis. results data showed significant effects of bupropion on grooming and digging. this drug diminished time mice allocated to these behavioural categories in all housing conditions. in iso/gr and gr/iso conditions,bupropion increased environmental exploration (non-social exploration and exploration from a distance),reduced social investigation and increased avoidance/flee and defence/submission behaviours. an augment of avoidance/flee during social interactions was observed in bupropion-treated mice in gr/gr housing condition. conclusion these results suggest that this drug exhibits anxiogenic-like properties in social encounters between adolescent mice,especially when a transition in housing conditions has been experienced during this period. changes in housing conditions may be a useful model for evaluating the effects of bupropion on social behaviour and the role of environmental housing conditions. © 2017 institute of pharmacology,polish academy of sciences