Distribution of Sodium, Potassium and Lithium in the Brain of Lithium‐treated Rats

Self Cite

Abstruci: Wistar male rats were treated with lithium for 50, 80, and 120 days, respectively. Lithium was added to the diet (40 mmol/kg of diet), the plasma lithium concentration being in the range of 0.55-0.70 mmol/l of plasma. The treatment caused a significantly more rigid consistency of the brain tissue. The water content and water binding ability in various parts of the brainmeasured by a drying coursewas unchanged. The content of hexosamine and protein in total brains was significantly decreased (about 10 per cent) after the treatment. The content of chondroitin sulphate in various parts of the brain was unchanged, whereas the content of hyaluronic acid was significantly increased in the cerebellum (25 per cent) and in the thalamic area (20 per cent). The results suggest an influence of lithium on the macromolecules from the extracellular space, causing an alteration of the neuronal function.

Section: Water Content and Water Binding Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The brains from control rats and rats treated with lithium for 50 and 80 days, respectively were dissected as previously described (EDELFORS 1975) except that the thalamus and hypothalamus were pooled, while the cerebellum and pons were kept separate. The tissue samples were homogenized in 20 vol.…”

Section: Glycosaminoglycanes (Acid Mucopolysaccharides)mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Lithium on Water Binding Ability, Consistency and Macromolecules in the Rat Brain

Edelfors

1977

Self Cite

“…They found greater dif-ferences between the other areas than is evident in the present work. The levels in the hypothalamus are slightly higher than those of cerebellum and cortex but the difference is not as marked as that described by Edelfors (1975). However, the concentration of lithium in the nucleus accumbens, a non-striatal dopamine system, is not significantly different from the remainder of the cortex, suggesting that the concentration of lithium is not specific to dopamine systems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 49%

“…The findings were similar to those of Ebadi et al (1974) who also found a high concentration of lithium in striatum following the acute administration of lithium to rats. Edelfors (1975) in a 3-5 week study of rats receiving lithium in diet found a significant decrease in the sodium concentration of the hypothalamus associated with an increase in lithium in the same area. While these studies appear to demonstrate conclusively that lithium is not distributed equally throughout brain but appears to be preferentially accumulated in striatum and brain stem, it remains uncertain whether this concentration is associated with the large number of nerve endings in these areas or if it is accounted for by uptake into a specific transmitter system.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Lithium Neurotoxicity. I. The Concentration of Lithium in Dopaminergic Systems of Rat Brain Determined by Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry

McGovern

Makanjuola

Arbuthnott

et al. 1978

Severe neurotoxicity has been reported in patients receiving combinations of lithium and butyrophenones and halogenated phenothiazines and the suggestion has been made that lithium is preferentially concentrated in dopamine systems in brain. Conventional flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry does not allow analysis of sufficiently small samples of brain tissue to allow accurate association with specific transmitter systems, although previous reports have suggested that lithium is concentrated in the striatum. A method has been developed using flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry to allow accurate measurement of lithium concentrations in 10–100 ng amounts in less than 10–100 mg fresh weight of brain tissue. Using this technique in experiments where rats were fed lithium over a period of three weeks, we could not confirm a direct association of lithium with an area predominently served by dopamine transmitters.

“…bled by heart puncture and decapitated. The brain was removed and dissected into hemispheres, cerebellum, pons, thalamus+ hypothalamus (Edelfors 1975).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Lithium on the Incorporation of ³H‐Glucosamine into Glycopeptides and the Transformation of ³H‐Glucosamine into Sialic Acid in Rat Brain

Edelfors¹

1980

Self Cite

Rats were fed a lithium‐containing diet (40 mmol LiCl/kg of diet) for five weeks. The plasma‐lithium concentration was 0.48 mmol Li+/l of plasma. 3H‐glucosamine (400 nCi/kg body weight) was injected intraperitoneally, and 24 hrs later the brain was divided anatomically into hemisphere, cerebellum, pons and thalamus. The brain parts were defatted and the sialic acid‐containing glycopeptides were separated by column chromatography before determination of 3H‐glucosamine, 3H‐sialic acid and total sialic acid. Neither the total amount nor the specific activity of sialic acid were influenced by the lithium treatment. Also the 3H‐content of the sialic acid‐free glycopeptides remained unchanged.