Fig. 1.

Time course of the reduction (A) and recovery (B) of the binding of [³H]-CN-IMI (1 nm) after sertraline treatment. To study the onset of effects (A), rats were treated by osmotic minipump with sertraline (7.5 mg · kg⁻¹ · d⁻¹, s.c.) or vehicle (for control rats) for 4, 10, 15, or 21 d, always followed by a 2 d washout. To study the time course of recovery (B), rats were treated for 21 d with sertraline or vehicle followed by 2, 6, 8, 10, or 16 d of washout. Serotonin uptake sites were measured using quantitative autoradiography for [³H]-cyanoimipramine binding, as described in Materials and Methods. Results obtained were similar throughout the brain. Shown for illustration are results obtained in the CA3 region of the hippocampus, the parietal cortex (Par. CTX), and the basolateral amygdaloid nucleus posterior (BLP). The number of animals in each drug-treated group was four; the control group included eight animals. *p < 0.05 comparison of each time point for the treatment group with the corresponding time point of the control group. ANOVA, followed by Newman–Keulspost hoc comparison.