Systemic lithium administration alters rat cerebral cortex phospholipids.

Systemic lithium administration is known to alter the metabolism of myo-inositol and choline, both of which are precursors for phospholipid synthesis. We report that systemic administration also induces a number of changes in the relative levels of rat cerebral cortex phospholipids, including phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin, and phosphatidylethanolamine. As phospholipids play an integral role in the maintenance of biological membranes, these changes are functionally quite significant and may have implications for a better understanding of lithium's therapeutic actions.