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Effects of Lithium Salts on Memory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

K. S. Kusumo
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Indonesia, Jl Salemba No. 4, Jakarta, Indonesia
M. Vaughan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of South Manchester, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 SLR

Abstract

Thirteen patients diagnosed as having affective disorders, and who were taking lithium, were compared with drug-free controls on short-term and long-term memory tasks. There was some indication that patients on lithium may show an impairment of short-term memory at fifteen-second delay intervals, and possibly enhanced long-term recall of difficult material. Further comparison with results obtained from six patients on tricyclic antidepressants seemed to reduce the possibility that the lithium group's scores were a function of their psychiatric status.

As the group sizes were small, all the findings need to be replicated.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1977 

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