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Effect of subchronic lithium treatment on citalopram‐induced increases in extracellular concentrations of serotonin in the medial prefrontal cortex
Author(s) -
Muraki Ihoko,
Inoue Takeshi,
Hashimoto Shinji,
Izumi Takeshi,
Ito Koichi,
Koyama Tsukasa
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1046/j.1471-4159.2001.00091.x
Subject(s) - citalopram , extracellular , lithium (medication) , serotonin , medicine , endocrinology , agonist , antidepressant , chemistry , prefrontal cortex , reuptake inhibitor , pharmacology , hippocampus , biochemistry , receptor , psychiatry , cognition
We investigated the effect of citalopram [a selective serotonin (5‐HT) reuptake inhibitor; SSRI] and MKC‐242 (a selective 5‐HT 1A agonist), following treatment with subchronic lithium (p.o., 1 week) on extracellular 5‐HT concentrations in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Acute treatment with citalopram (3 and 30 mg/kg) led to significant increases in extracellular 5‐HT concentrations. The subchronic lithium group showed significantly higher basal levels of extracellular 5‐HT than normal diet controls. Acute citalopram (3 and 30 mg/kg) treatment together with subchronic lithium treatment showed significant increases in the extracellular 5‐HT concentrations, compared with citalopram treatment alone. Acute MKC‐242 (1 mg/kg) treatment showed significant decreases in extracellular 5‐HT concentrations, in both the normal diet and lithium diet groups to the same extent. The addition of lithium did not change the effect of the 5‐HT 1A agonist on extracellular 5‐HT concentrations. This study suggests that lithium augmentation of the antidepressant effect of SSRI is mediated by the additional increases in extracellular 5‐HT concentrations following the co‐administrations of lithium and SSRI.