Antidepressant effect of lithium: a neurochemical study on neuronal uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin.
1. The effect of lithium chloride on neuronal uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin was explored on a pure culture of chicken neurons. While an acute lithium treatment (25 minutes) proves ineffective, a long-term treatment (7 days) decreases the uptake of serotonin and increases the uptake of norepinephrine. 2. The combined administration of lithium (7 days) and clomipramine (25 minutes) appears to have a greater effect on the uptake of serotonin than a treatment limited to only one of the two products. 3. The clinical implications of these results are discussed while emphasizing the interest of lithium in the treatment of depression.
Centre de Neurochimie du CNRS, Strasbourg, France.
M A
MA
Wolf
J C
JC
Louis
G
G
Vincendon
D000818:Animals; D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D012701:Serotonin; D008094:Lithium; D002997:Clomipramine; D009638:Norepinephrine