Can SSRIs enhance Visual Plasticity?

Of 55 patients screened, 7 were enrolled (mean age = 26, range 18-49 years, 5 male). Mean amblyopic eye VA was 0.67 LogMAR (range 0.3 to 1.2 LogMAR), 2 patients had anisometropic, 2 strabismic and 3 mixed amblyopia. The effects of placebo and citalopram on amblyopic eye VA did not differ significantly (F1,6 = 1.991, p= .208), figure 5 below. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) fluoxetine has been shown to significantly enhance visual cortex plasticity in adult animals, an effect which was blocked by a benzodiazepine 1. The aim of this research was to assess: