Failure to find Increased Sodium, Potassium-ATPase in Red Cell Ghosts of Schizophrenics

Abstract

THE findings of Drs. Parker and Hoffman are interesting. Perhaps their smaller differences and our larger differences may be partly explained by a previous administration of tranquillizers. Among our six schizophrenic patients who had elevated sodium-potassium-ATPase values (expressed in absolute units), we found that the highest values were in those who had received phenothiazines during their acute reaction (1–3 weeks) and had then stopped taking drugs about one month prior to the assay of sodium-potassium-ATPase. Since phenothiazines are known to inhibit sodium-potassium-ATPase^1,2, some of the enzyme increase may have resulted as an ‘induction’ following the period of drug treatment.