Lithium News and Research

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Scientists develop new online open-access data tool to improve drug safety

A new online open-access database has been developed by scientists to allow the clinical responses of more than 5 million patients to all FDA-approved drugs to be used to identify unexpected clinical harm, benefits and alternative treatment choices for individual patients, according to a study appearing July 8 in Nature Biotechnology.

10 Jul 2016

Repeat, low-dose ketamine infusions may quickly reduce suicidal thoughts in depressed outpatients

Repeat intravenous treatment with low doses of the anesthetic drug ketamine quickly reduced suicidal thoughts in a small group of patients with treatment-resistant depression.

11 May 2016

New study finds genetic overlap between bipolar disorder and autism

A new study suggests there may be an overlap between rare genetic variations linked to bipolar disorder (BD) and those implicated in schizophrenia and autism.

5 May 2016

Researchers identify blood-based biomarkers to accurately predict suicidal ideation in women

Researchers have identified blood-based biomarkers and developed questionnaire-based apps that may help clinicians identify which of their female patients being treated for psychiatric disorders are at greatest risk of suicidal ideation or behavior.

5 Apr 2016

Understanding the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder

Advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition and analyses over the last two decades have enabled the identification of neuroanatomical abnormalities in a range of mental disorders, however one question which has consistently surfaced is the extent to which the medications used to treat such disorders may accentuate or ameliorate these abnormalities.

17 Feb 2016

Low levels of cortisol in bipolar patients associated with depression, obesity and metabolic syndrome

New observations show that older bipolar patients often have decreased activity in the hormone system responsible for the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Low levels of cortisol in bipolar patients were also associated with depression, low quality of life, obesity, dyslipidaemia and metabolic syndrome.

20 Jan 2016

Konica Minolta to feature new digital radiology solution at RSNA 2015

Konica Minolta, a market leader in medical diagnostic Primary Imaging Solutions, will feature AeroDR LT, its new digital radiology solution, at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Booth #2729.

12 Nov 2015

Lithium chloride could offer effective treatment against osteoarthritis

Bioengineers from Queen Mary University of London have shown for the first time that lithium chloride, a common drug used to treat mental health disorders, could offer an effective treatment against osteoarthritis by disrupting the length of the cells' antennae called primary cilia.

28 Oct 2015

Scientists reveal link between depression and paraventricular thalamus

Scientists from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have shown that a mouse strain with a mutation that leads to dysfunction of mitochondria--the "powerhouses" that provide energy to cells--spontaneously undergo periodic episodes of depression-like behavior that resemble those in human. Through this research, published in Molecular Psychiatry, the scientists uncovered a link between depression and the paraventricular thalamus, a region of the brain not previously tied to depression.

20 Oct 2015

Long-term lithium exposure does not increase renal dysfunction risk

Stable lithium maintenance therapy does not increase the risk of renal dysfunction in patients with bipolar affective disorder, findings from a population-based study suggest.

14 Oct 2015

Lithium can be safe, effective for children suffering from bipolar disorder

A multicenter study of young patients with bipolar disorder provides what may be the most scientifically rigorous demonstration to date that lithium -- a drug used successfully for decades to treat adults with the condition -- can also be safe and effective for children suffering from it.

12 Oct 2015

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation to honor nine scientists with Outstanding Achievement Prizes

The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation will honor nine scientists with its 2015 Outstanding Achievement Prizes for their work in schizophrenia, mood disorders, child and adolescent psychiatry, and cognitive neuroscience.

9 Oct 2015

EKF’s new Altair 240 revealed to UK audience at IBMS 2015

EKF, announces the UK launch of the Altair™ 240 clinical chemistry analyser at the Institute of Biomedical Science Congress 2015 in Birmingham.

From EKF Diagnostics 24 Sep 2015

FDA accepts sNDA to review Brintellix clinical trial data for treatment of major depressive disorder

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) and H. Lundbeck A/S (Lundbeck) announced today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for review to add clinical data regarding the effect of Brintellix (vortioxetine) on certain aspects of cognitive function in adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) to the current product label.

11 Aug 2015

Low-dose lithium lowers involuntary motor movements in mouse model of Parkinson's disease

Low-dose lithium reduced involuntary motor movements - the troubling side effect of the medication most commonly used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) - in a mouse model of the condition that is diagnosed in about 60,000 Americans each year. The third in a series of studies from the Andersen lab involving PD and low-dose lithium, the results add to mounting evidence that low-doses of the psychotropic drug could benefit patients suffering from the incurable, degenerative condition.

28 Jul 2015

New approach holds great promise for developing effective treatments for human mitochondrial diseases

Using existing drugs, such as lithium, to restore basic biological processes in human cells and animal models, researchers may have broken a long-standing logjam in devising effective treatments for human mitochondrial diseases.

21 Jul 2015

Allergan announces U.S. availability of SAPHRIS 2.5 mg tablets for children with bipolar I disorder

Allergan plc today announced that SAPHRIS (asenapine) 2.5 mg sublingual (placed under the tongue) black-cherry flavored tablets are available in pharmacies throughout the U.S. In March 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved SAPHRIS for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in pediatric patients (ages 10 – 17).

17 Jul 2015

New study shows that lithium chloride could be used to treat arthritis

Lithium chloride which is used as a mood stabiliser in the treatment of mental health problems, mainly bipolar disorder, could be used to treat arthritis according to a new study.

16 Jul 2015

EKF introduces specific biomarker test for early sepsis identification

EKF Diagnostics, the global diagnostics company, announces that it has introduced the Stanbio Chemistry Procalcitonin (PCT) LiquiColor® Assay.

From EKF Diagnostics 7 May 2015

New Tel Aviv University study may pave way for personalized bipolar disorder treatment

Rapidly swinging from extremes of joy and energy to sadness, fatigue, and confusion, bipolar disorder (BD) patients feel desperate and largely alone in the world. And according to the National Institutes of Health, between 25-50 percent of the roughly 3% of Americans living with BD attempt suicide at least once.

23 Apr 2015