| Title |
Contrasting effects of larval escitalopram and serotonin-synthesis inhibitor on adult phototaxis in Drosophila w1118 |
| Authors |
Krams, Indrikis ; Kolbjonoks, Vadims ; Popovs, Sergejs ; Munkevics, Maris ; Krams, Ronalds ; Trakimas, Giedrius ; Rantala, Markus J ; Contreras-Garduno, Jorge ; Joers, Priit ; Adams, Colton B ; Krama, Tatjana |
| DOI |
10.3390/life15111782 |
| Full Text |
|
| Is Part of |
Life.. Basel : MDPI. 2025, vol. 15, iss. 11, art. no. 1782, p. [1-11].. ISSN 2075-1729 |
| Keywords [eng] |
Drosophila melanogaster ; serotonergic signaling ; behavioral variability ; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ; FlyVac |
| Abstract [eng] |
Phototaxis, the movement toward or away from light, is a fundamental behavior with ecological and evolutionary relevance. In Drosophila melanogaster, phototactic choice shows individual variability and has been linked to serotonergic signaling. Using a high-throughput FlyVac assay to test single flies in parallel, we reared w1118 flies on (1) standard food (Control), (2) aMW (a serotonin-synthesis inhibitor), (3) 5-HTP (a serotonin precursor), or (4) escitalopram (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, SSRI). Light-choice probability (LCP) did not differ between Control and aMW. LCP was lower in 5-HTP and escitalopram than in Control and aMW, and lower with escitalopram than with 5-HTP. Between-fly variability (MADn) differed across treatments: escitalopram exhibited higher dispersion than Control and aMW, whereas 5-HTP did not differ reliably from Control. These findings support the hypothesis that serotonin modulates behavioral predictability and mean choice bias; variability effects were compound-specific (escitalopram modestly increased MADn, whereas 5-HTP did not differ from Control). Given the rising costs and ethical constraints of vertebrate models, our results highlight Drosophila and FlyVac as a powerful, cost-effective system for investigating SSRI effects on decision phenotypes. |
| Published |
Basel : MDPI |
| Type |
Journal article |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2025 |
| CC license |
|
