Effect of chronic lithium treatment with or without haloperidol on number and sizes of neurons in rat neocortex

Abstract

The present study used stereological methods to determine whether long-term administration of lithium, with or without haloperidol, affects the number and average volume of neocortical neurons. Twenty-five rats were divided into three groups and given no treatment, lithium, or lithium combined with haloperidol. Serum lithium levels ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 mmol/l. Haloperidol was injected intraperitoneally at a daily dose of 1 mg/kg. After 30 weeks of treatment, the animals were killed and the brains were prepared. Neocortical volume, density of neurons, total number of neurons and mean volume of neurons were estimated. As no differences were found between the groups, the present study provides no evidence for quantitative morphological changes in the cerebral cortex due to long-term 'therapeutic' levels of lithium, with or without haloperidol.

Unbiased Stereological Estimation of Different Cell Types in Rat Cerebral Cortex

“…Tandrup and Braendgaard (1992) also used an atlas for the boundaries of the neocortex and stated that "the neocortex was frontally defined as the cortex rostral to the rhinal fissure and the entorhinal cortex occipitally". That definition was also used in a subsequent study (Licht et al, 1994). In our hands, however, these methods were found to be inadequate, partly because the term "neocortex" has a clear-cut definition in neuroanatomical terminology (Zilles and Wree, 1985) which differs from the use of the term in those stereological studies, and partly because of problems such as heterogeneous shrinkage and uncontrolled effects of experimental treatments and human bias, as pointed out above.…”

A Histological Assessment of the Cell Death Induced by Haloperidol on Prefrontal Cortex

“…Thus, haloperidol can cause damages to the white tissue of the brain and nigrostriatal Pathway as well (Licht et al, 1994;Dalgalarrondo & Gattaz, 1994;Roberts et al, 2002;Meredith et al, 2000).…”

Quantitative Study of Volumetric Changes of Cerebellum in Male Adult Rat Following Lithium Administration

“…Increase of gray matter detected by us would be in consent with these studies. On the other hand, Licht et al using stereological methods in cerebellum and neocortex of rats reported that there were no statistically significant differences between Lithium treated rats with or without haloperidol and control rats after a period of 30 weeks (11, 12). Sassi et al measured gray matter at right and left anterior and posterior cingulated cortices using MRI.…”

“…N-acetyl- aspartate believed to be localized mainly in dendrites rather than cell body and is a putative marker of neuronal viability and function (8). On the other hand, Licht et al after a period of 30 weeks in cerebellum and neocortex of rats by using stereological methods reported that there were no statistically significant differences between Lithium treated rats with or without haloperidol and control rats (11, 12). Sassi et al using MRI measured gray matter volume at right and left anterior and posterior cingulated cortices.…”