Acute lithium effects on rat brain glucose metabolism - in vivo.

Administration of LiCl to rats was found to affect brain glucose metabolism in the following ways. The concentrations of brain glucose, brain lactate and brain glycogen were increased, and the concentration of brain glutamate was decreased. The incorporation of (14)C from U-(14)C D-glucose, administered intraperitoneally to the rats, was increased in brain glucose and brain lactate, and decreased in brain glutamate. The results were explained by a lithium-induced increase in brain glucose uptake and an increased rate of glycolysis, and a slight inhibition of the oxidative decarboxylation of the Krebs cycle.