Department of Adult Psychiatry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
World J Biol Psychiatry. 2011 Aug;12(5):340-8. doi: 10.3109/15622975.2011.559274. Epub 2011 Mar 2.
OBJECTIVES. More than 60 years have passed since the introduction of lithium into modern psychiatry and special issues of Bipolar Disorders in 2009 and Neuropsychobiology in 2010 were devoted to this anniversary. Notwithstanding such a long tradition, a number of key articles on the neuropsychiatric aspects of lithium have appeared in recent years. METHODS. This update was based on the most important original papers and reviews on lithium published in recent years. The main topics were the efficacy of lithium in mood disorders, with a special focus on cognitive functions, the neuroprotective effects of this ion and the potential of using lithium in neurology. RESULTS. Clinical studies and reviews point to lithium being still a cornerstone for the prophylaxis of mood disorders, especially bipolar. The pro-cognitive and antisuicidal properties of lithium have been confirmed as an augmentation of antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression. The neuroprotective effects of lithium have been evidenced in both experimental research and in clinical studies using brain imaging. The possible use of lithium in the prophylaxis of dementia and in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is discussed. CONCLUSIONS. Although not promoted by pharmaceutical companies, lithium remains a highly important drug in neuropsychiatry.
目的。自锂被引入现代精神病学以来，已经过去了 60 多年，2009 年的《双相情感障碍》和 2010 年的《神经精神生物学》都专门对此周年纪念进行了探讨。尽管有如此悠久的传统，但近年来仍有一些关于锂的神经精神方面的重要文章出现。
方法。本更新基于近年来发表的关于锂的最重要的原始论文和综述。主要主题是锂在心境障碍中的疗效，特别关注认知功能、这种离子的神经保护作用以及在神经病学中使用锂的潜力。
结果。临床研究和综述表明，锂仍然是预防心境障碍，特别是双相情感障碍的基石。锂的促认知和抗自杀作用已被证实可作为治疗抵抗性抑郁症中抗抑郁药的增效剂。锂的神经保护作用已在实验研究和使用脑成像的临床研究中得到证实。还讨论了锂在预防痴呆症和神经退行性疾病（如亨廷顿病和肌萎缩侧索硬化症）中的可能用途。
结论。尽管不受制药公司的推动，锂仍然是神经精神病学中一种非常重要的药物。
