Antagonism of behavioral effects of cocaine by lithium

Ten rats, serving as their own controls, were tested for hyperactivity (HyA) (by number of turns of an activity wheel cage) and stereotyped behavior (SB). The animals were given one week each of acclimation to the cages, saline, cocaine (19 mg/kg in 1 cc/kg saline), rest, two weeks on LiCl, and a week on LiCl plus the same dose of cocaine. LiCl produced a nonsignificant decrease of HyA and significantly decreased cocaine SB. The same procedure was duplicated using two different doses of cocaine in five animals each with identical results. The author concludes that Li seems to inhibit cocaine effects in animals and suggests a potential area of research for the use of Li in humans.