Synonyms
Indications
Mania, depression, aggression, mood disturbances.
Mechanisms of Action
Lithium is an alkali metal and is among the oldest employed psychoactive therapeutic agents. Despite this, its precise mechanism of action remains unclear. These have been as varied as reported modulatory effects on neurotrophic factors, biogenic amines/enzymes, adrenergic function, postsynaptic receptor and supersensitivity, and second messenger systems including adenylate cyclase, inositol triphosphate, and protein kinase signaling cascades (Alessi et al. 1994). There is, however, a consensus that much of lithium’s action is via replacement of sodium ion functionality within the body, particularly in its indirect inhibition of neuronal processes. Inhibition of both adenylate cyclase and protein kinase C has been implicated in anti-manic effects associated with lithium. In terms of its action on biogenic amines, lithium is associated with a stimulatory effect...
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References and Reading
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Glennon, J. (2021). Lithium. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_59
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91280-6_59
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