Behavioral and neurophysiological effects of buspirone in healthy and depression-like state juvenile salmon.

A proportion of farmed salmon in seawater show a behaviorally inhibited, growth stunted profile known as a depression-like state (DLS). These DLS fish are characterized by chronically elevated serotonergic signaling and blood plasma cortisol levels and the inability to react further to acute stress, which is suggestive of chronic stress. In this study, we characterize the neuroendocrine profile of growth stunted freshwater parr and confirm that they show a DLS-like neuroendocrine profile with a blunted cortisol response and no serotonergic increase in response to acute stress.