Lithium (Li) salt is a kind of antipsychotic drug commonly used in the treatment and prevention of mental disorders

but its mechanism of action is still not well understood. Knowing that central dopaminergic neurons are usually the site of action of antipsychotic drugs and some central stimulents

we determined flourospe-ctropnotometrically the dopamine level of discrete brain regions of rat after Li was given intraperitonially 24 hr

3 days and 5 days later to observe the effect of acute and chronic application of Li on brain dopamine level.The result showed that dopamine level of different brain region and spinal cord were lowered after 24 hr of Li injection

but it increased moderately 3 days later and dramatically 5 days later. It showed that central dopamine of the animal undergoes a series of metabolic change during Li application. ’There is no unique idea about the effect of Li on brain dopamine metabolism

we discussed the result of our experiment preliminary