Introduction

Summary

As reflected in the number of citations per year, the initial golden age of lithium discovery was indeed 1965–1990. Yet interest in lithium has not waned, and a renaissance in lithium related publications has occurred over the past 20 years (Figure 0.1). This literature is fueled by ongoing exploration of lithium’s unique mood stabilizing, anti-suicide and neuroprotective properties, a constellation of activities not seen in any single molecule [1–10]. Delving into how a simple ion conveys such benefits has opened important avenues of research into the neurobiology of both mood and degenerative brain disorders, and the molecular neuropharmacology of intracellular G-protein dependent and G-protein independent 2nd messenger systems [11, 12].