Lithium does not interact with haloperidol in the dopaminergic pathways of the rat brain

Prophylactic treatment with lithium has been reported to prevent haloperidol-induced dopamine (DA) receptor supersensitivity. If such an effect exists, then lithium may be useful in the prevention of tardive dyskinesia, which is related to the neuroleptic-induced DA hyperfunction. In the experiments reported here chronic lithium administration had no effect on DA synthesis or utilization in the nigrostriatal, mesolimbic, or mesocortical DA pathways in the rat brain. Similarly, lithium had no effect on the increase in DA metabolism induced by the acute administration of haloperidol. Also, chronic lithium treatment failed to modify the biochemical tolerance which developed after prolonged administration of the neuroleptic drug. Supersensitivity of the presynaptic DA receptors, which was induced by prolonged exposure to haloperidol, likewise was unaffected by prophylactic lithium treatment. We conclude that lithium does not affect changes in DA metabolism or receptor supersensitivity induced by haloperidol. These results do not support the use of lithium in neurological disorders that may be related to neuroleptic-induced DA receptor supersensitivity.