The present study investigated body weight experimentally induced depression and exploratory behavior in young adult rats treated in the neonatal period with sertraline a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The animals received subcutaneously 15 mg / kg of sertraline (sertraline group n = 42) or 1 ml / kg of distilled water (control group n = 36) daily from the 1st to the 21st day of age.