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Chapter 17 - Effects of Lithium on Brain Structure in Bipolar Disorder

from Section 5 - Therapeutic Applications of Neuroimaging in Mood Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2021

By
Jasmine Kaur ,
Vivian Kafantaris  and
Philip R. Szeszko
Edited by
Sudhakar Selvaraj ,
Paolo Brambilla  and
Jair C. Soares
Sudhakar Selvaraj
Affiliation:
UTHealth School of Medicine, USA
Paolo Brambilla
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Milano
Jair C. Soares
Affiliation:
UT Harris County Psychiatric Center, USA
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Summary

Bipolar disorder is an episodic, highly impairing mood disorder that is estimated to have a prevalence of 2–3% in the general population and is one of the leading causes of years lived with a disability.(1) Lithium is the gold standard for the treatment of bipolar disorder, and although it is a simple element, its effects on the brain are very complex.(2) Lithium’s potential neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects raise the intriguing possibility that it can potentially ameliorate abnormalities in brain structure and thus alter the disease trajectory.

Type
Chapter
Information
Mood Disorders
Brain Imaging and Therapeutic Implications
 , pp. 219 - 235
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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