Lithium Transport Across Red Cell Membrane: A Cell Membrane Abnormality in Manic-Depressive Illness

Abstract

In the families of manic-depressive patients, relatives with a history of affective disorders had a significantly higher ratio of mean red cell lithium to plasma lithium in vitro than relatives with no such history. A genetically controlled abnormality in lithium-sodium transport, the mechanism that determines the lithium ratio, may play a role in the etiology of some forms of affective disorders.