Research by Teresa Dzieweczynski and student co-authors featured by multiple online publications
An article published in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Biology written by Teresa Dzieweczynski, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology, and undergraduate co-authors Brennah Campbell (Psychology, ’16) and Jessica Kane (Animal Behavior, ’17) was selected as the highlight piece from the journal and was discussed in multiple online publications, including Headlines and Global News, How Stuff Works and Discovery.com.
The team of researchers examined the effects of the existence of fluoxetine, the drug in Prozac, on aquatic life exposed to the medication in river water. Specifically, they studied the behavior of male Siamese fighting fish that had been exposed to a week-long dose of fluoxetine.
The researchers concluded that exposure to fluoxetine-laced water resulted in timid behavior in the fish, making them less likely to explore. "Decreasing activity level and willingness to explore could have huge negative consequences on organisms,” explained Dzieweczynski in an interview with How Stuff Works. “After all, how fish find food and mates and shelter is directly related to their movement. If Siamese fighting fish move less, they may not find food or they may not avoid predators effectively. This could be generalized to a wide range of aquatic organisms."
Read about the research in , , and
