The Relative Deficiency of Potassium Ions in Nerve Cells Causes Abnormal Functions and Neurological and Mental Diseases

Abstract

The difference of intracellular potassium (K+) and extracellular sodium (Na+) concentrations in nerve cells plays an important role in the functional activities of the nervous system. The maintenance of this difference mainly depends on the number and efficiency of Na, K-ATPase. However, due to the functional activity of nerve cells, this system often loses its balance. An undetectable phenomenon is the relative deficiency of potassium in nerve cells in specific brain regions or neural network structures, which leads to dysfunction of specific nerve cell populations or brain regions, thus leading to different types of neurological disorders or diseases. The relative deficiency of potassium ions in nerve cells may be caused by the competitive failure of nerve cells to effectively use potassium ions stored in the body, and the core reason may be related to insufficient potassium obtained through diet or effectively absorbed by the digestive system. Therefore, a simple strategy is to treat a patient by taking appropriate potassium orally. This paper presents a case with great success by using such a method to treat a patient with major depression.