[ATPase activity, endogenous depression, lithotherapy and electroconvulsive therapy]

The author gives a brief account of the action of ATP-ases in the organism. He describes the effect of different substances on the action of these enzymes, whereby special attention is paid to the action of psychopharmaceutical preparations, incl. lithium salts, on the activity of Na+K(+)-ATP-ase. In the experimental part he investigates the activity of ATP-ases in endogenous depressions in our population, the influence of Li+ and electroconvulsions on these enzymes. The results are consistent with data in the literature. Changes in the ATP-ase activities in the course of treatment imply that these enzymes are not genetic markers of depressions. The different effect of therapeutic preparations on the activity of ATP-ases indicates that influencing ATP-ase activity in relation to depressive conditions cannot be considered causal.