Abstract
Heart rate rises associated with performance of mental arithmetic tasks were compared in 22 euthymic manic-depressive patients receiving lithium carbonate and 17 drug-free normal controls. The lithium-treated subjects showed a markedly lower heart rate response to the mental arithmetic stimulus. No effect was observed on basal heart rate. The results are consistent with lithium's reported inhibition of noradrenaline-induced rises in adenylate cyclase activity but lack of inhibition of basal adenylate cyclase activity. The biochemical and psychophysiological findings may parallel lithium's unique ability to calm excited behavior without sedating normal behavior.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 577-579 |
| Number of pages | 3 |
| Journal | Unknown Journal |
| Volume | 136 |
| Issue number | 4 B |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 1979 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health