ArticleTherapeutic advances in psychopharmacology2013
Lithium: the pharmacodynamic actions of the amazing ion.
Article in Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
65 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 137 citations in OpenAlex.
- Lithium-associated hyperparathyroidism: a systematic review of prevalence and surgical outcomes.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness evaluation of mood disorder treatment algorithms in Brazilian public healthcare patients.Revista brasileira de psiquiatria (Sao Paulo, Brazil : 1999)Trial
- Small-Molecule Kinase Inhibitors Modulating Circadian Rhythms.Medicinal research reviews · 2026Review
- Manifestations of Lithium Deficiency in the Human Body: What is Known to Date (A Narrative Review).Biological trace element research · 2026Review
- Lithium in Bipolar Disorder: Renal Mechanisms, Nephrotoxicity Phenotypes, and a Shared-Care Pathway for Clinical Practice.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- In Vivo CRISPR Screening Identifies the Glutamate Receptor GRIA2 as Promoting Peritoneal Metastasis of Gastric Cancer via Calcium-Dependent β-Catenin Activation.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Lithium and the Brain-Bone Axis: A Bridge between Osteoporosis and Alzheimer's Disease.Current osteoporosis reports · 2026Review
- Cold and lithium delay forgetting of olfactory memories in Caenorhabditis elegans.Nature neuroscience · 2026Article
- Neurological and hematological safety profiles of GSK-3β inhibitors: insights from multi-database pharmacovigilance and experimental validation.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Article
- Potential neuroprotective and therapeutic agents and their mechanisms for irradiation-induced brain injury.Ibrain · 2026Review
- Effects of lithium chloride on queen egg-laying performance and worker honey bee behavior.Pest management science · 2026Article
- Off-label and investigational drugs in the treatment of gambling disorder: a critical review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Monomethyl auristatin E and paclitaxel use different mechanisms to alter intracellular calcium signaling.Biochemical pharmacology · 2025Article
- Lithium partially rescues gene expression and enhancer activity from heterozygous knockout of AKAP11 while inducing novel differential changes.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Lithium Augmentation in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Qualitative Review of the Literature.Pharmacotherapy · 2025Review
- An Experiential Account of Functioning During Remission in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder: A Grounded Theory Approach.Indian journal of psychological medicine · 2025Article
- The Mechanisms of Lithium Action: The Old and New Findings.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Neuron-specific isoform of PGC-1α regulates neuronal metabolism and brain aging.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Cancer Risk and Estimated Lithium Exposure in Drinking Groundwater in the US.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Lithium compromises the bioenergetic reserve of cardiomyoblasts mitochondria.Journal of bioenergetics and biomembranes · 2025Article
5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Lithium has been used for the treatment of mood disorders for over 60 years, yet the exact mechanisms by which it exerts its therapeutic effects remain unclear. Two enzymatic chains or pathways emerge as targets for lithium: inositol monophosphatase within the phosphatidylinositol signalling pathway and the protein kinase glycogen synthase kinase 3. Lithium inhibits these enzymes through displacing the normal cofactor magnesium, a vital regulator of numerous signalling pathways. Here we provide an overview of evidence, supporting a role for the inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 and inositol monophosphatase in the pharmacodynamic actions of lithium. We also explore how inhibition of these enzymes by lithium can lead to downstream effects of clinical relevance, both for mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Establishing a better understanding of lithium's mechanisms of action may allow the development of more effective and more tolerable pharmacological agents for the treatment of a range of mental illnesses, and provide clearer insight into the pathophysiology of such disorders.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.