The differential effect of lithium on noradrenaline- and dopamine-sensitive accumulation of cyclic AMP in guinea pig brain.

Lithium (Li) in its narrow therapeutic concentration range was found to inhibit only the noradrenaline- and not the dopamine-sensitive accumulation of cyclic AMP in guinea pig brain. The results suggest a pharmacological distinction between the anti-schizophrenic drugs that inhibit dopamine-sensitive cyclic AMP accumulation and Li, an antimanic agent that inhibits specifically only the noradrenaline-sensitive cyclic AMP accumulation.