Lithium and Bipolar Disorder

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Lithium and Bipolar Disorder

INTRODUCTION

The drug lithium has been used for a variety of disorders such as

gout, diabetes, and epilepsy for over 100 years. It was not until

1949 when John Cade discovered that lithium had a calming effect

on guinea pigs that the possibilities of it being used for mania

were explored (Paykel, 1992). Since then, lithium has been

established as one of the primary treatments for manic depression

disorder. In the body of this paper we will explore the chemistry

of lithium, the synaptic transmitters involved, the parts of the

neuron affected, the inhibitory and excitatory potential changes,

the ion channels effected, the physiological changes, the primary

behavior changes, the side effect behavior changes and the effects

reported by users.

CHEMISTRY

Lithium is a chemical element found in group IA of the periodic

table, along with sodium, rubidium, and cesium. Lithium has an

atomic number of 3, and an atomic weight of 6.94. In general,

lithium is more stable than hydrogen, and slightly less stable

than nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen. When looking at chemical ion

properties, it is useful to consider three main characteristics:

the size, or radius, of the ion, the charge, and the ion's

electron affinity. Lithium has a similar charge to radius ratio to

that of magnesium, which is in group IIA of the periodic table,

and so chemists say that the two elements are "chemically

similar." Lithium has low electron affinity in general, but it is

strong compared to other alkali metal cations and therefore is

highly polarizing (Williams, 1973). Lithium is the lightest known

solid element, and when dissolved in liquid ammonia it has the

lowest known dens...

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Schildkraut, J.J. 1974. The Effects of Lithium on Norepinephrine

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Nervous Mental Disorders, 8:146.

Shou, Mogens. 1973. Preparations, Dosage and Control. In Gershon,

S. and Baron Shopsin (Eds.), Lithium: its Role in Psychiatric

Research and Treatment. (pp.189). New York: Plenum.

Small, J, and Small, I. 1973. Pharmacology: Neurophysiology of

Lithium. In Gershon, S. and Baron Shopsin (Eds.), Lithium: its

Role in Psychiatric Research and Treatment. (pp.83). New York:

Plenum.

Williams, R.J.P. 1973. The Chemistry and Biochemistry of Lithium.

In Gershon, S. and Baron Shopsin (Eds.), Lithium: its Role in

Psychiatric Research and Treatment. (pp. 15). New York: Plenum.

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