Membranes, methylation and lithium responsive psychoses.
Data are presented showing that the erythrocyte ghost membranes of lithium-responsive and non-responsive schizophrenic-like patients are different from control membranes. In both groups of patients there was a significant decrement of phosphatidylcholine (PC) which was largely compensated for by an increase in sphingomyelin. The decrement in PC may in part be associated with a decrease in phospholipid methylation which converts phosphatidylethanolmine (PE) to PC. Interestingly, in the lithium-responsive but not the non-responsive patients, lithium stimulates methylation activity. This stimulation may affect a variety of membrane functions, e.g. adenyl cyclase activity, which would be involved in lithium's therapeutic actions.
D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008745:Methylation; D010743:Phospholipids / Q000378:metabolism; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D013109:Sphingomyelins / Q000378:metabolism
D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D010743:Phospholipids; D013109:Sphingomyelins; D008094:Lithium