Anti-anxiety drugs impact wastewater fish behavior

Washington.edu

Benzodiazepines are a highly effective group of pharmaceutical drugs that help millions of people cope with anxiety, insomnia, and panic disorders each year. These drugs work by binding to receptors in the brain and enhancing the effect of a neurotransmitter called GABA.

But humans aren’t the only animals with GABA and GABA receptors; several other species—including many types of fish—are similar to us in this aspect of their brain chemistry. And, thanks to the huge amount of prescription drugs that are flushed down the drain (American medical care facilities alone may flush as much as 250 million pounds of pharmaceuticals a year), these species are inadvertently being exposed to high concentrations of benzodiazepine in rivers, lakes, and streams.

In this week’s issue of Science, a group of researchers shows exposure to these drugs can cause significant behavioral changes in fish, changes that could potentially alter ecosystem dynamics.