College

Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences

Date of Last Revision

2024-09-19 12:09:30

Major

Biomedical Science

Honors Course

Senior Honors Program in Biology

Number of Credits

2

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Date of Expected Graduation

Spring 2024

Abstract

The prevalence of patients being prescribed multiple medications concurrently is significantly rising, and so is the importance of investigating any interactions between medications. One common example—sertraline and clomipramine have been used together to treat obsessive compulsive disorder. Clomipramine, however, is known to cause tachyarrhythmias in some patients. The present study set out to investigate the role of this drug combination on the heart rate of a simple animal model, Daphnia magna, or the water flea. The water flea was exposed to saline, sertraline, clomipramine, or sertraline plus clomipramine, and heart rate was measured subsequently. It was found that the drug combination significantly reduced heart rate compared to saline. This suggests that further research into the effects of TCAs and SSRIs on the cardiovascular system of animal models is needed to ensure the safety of such polypharmacy for human patients.

Research Sponsor

Dr. Brian Bagatto

First Reader

Dr. Rachel Olson

Second Reader

Dr. Peter Niewiarowski

Honors Faculty Advisor

Dr. Brian Bagatto

Proprietary and/or Confidential Information

No

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