Effects of intraperitoneally injected lithium, imipramine and diazepam on nitrate levels in rat amygdala

Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO) has been studied in relation to the etiologies of various neurologic and psychiatric diseases. However, little is known about whether clinically available psychotropic drugs affect the NO system in the brain. Using an in vivo brain microdialysis method, the effects of intraperitoneally administered lithium, imipramine and diazepam on levels of NO3-, a marker of in vivo NO production, were investigated in the rat amygdala. Lithium significantly reduced, while imipramine raised, NO 3- levels as compared with controls. These observations suggest that lithium and imipramine induce opposite effects on NO-related systems in the brain.