An Oldie but Goodie: Lithium in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder through Neuroprotective and Neurotrophic Mechanisms

Lithium has been used for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) for the last sixty or more years, and recent studies with more reliable designs and updated guidelines have recommended lithium to be the treatment of choice for acute manic, mixed and depressive episodes of BD, along with long-term pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of molecular sciences Vol. 18; no. 12; p. 2679
Main Authors Won, Eunsoo, Kim, Yong-Ku
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 11.12.2017
MDPI
Subjects
Bipolar disorder
Lithium
Review
lithium
therapeutic mechanism
bipolar disorder
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ISSN1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI10.3390/ijms18122679

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Summary:Lithium has been used for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD) for the last sixty or more years, and recent studies with more reliable designs and updated guidelines have recommended lithium to be the treatment of choice for acute manic, mixed and depressive episodes of BD, along with long-term prophylaxis. Lithium’s specific mechanism of action in mood regulation is progressively being clarified, such as the direct inhibition on glycogen synthase kinase 3β, and its various effects on neurotrophic factors, neurotransmitters, oxidative metabolism, apoptosis, second messenger systems, and biological systems are also being revealed. Furthermore, lithium has been proposed to exert its treatment effects through mechanisms associated with neuronal plasticity. In this review, we have overviewed the clinical aspects of lithium use for BD, and have focused on the neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects of lithium.
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ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms18122679