Studies on the Mechanism of Action of Lithium Ions

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Abstract
When the extracellular Na+was replaced by lithium (Li+) the frequency of the impulses elicited by stretching the stretch receptor of crayfish was changed and then inhibited. This effect was not due to the lack of extracellular Na+. Higher firing rate facilitated and low extracellular K+delayed the Li+effect. Ouabain alone (10‐4M) changed the impulse activity in a similar manner to Li+replacement. Ouabain (10‐5M) decreased the rate of recovery during wash‐out after Li+replacement. The Li+‐induced increase in the frequency of the impulse activity was probably the result of a lower intracellular K+concentration, the block of the spike activity being due to the accumulation of Li+in the cell. The Na+pump participated in the recovery of the spike activity after Li+replacement.