Researchers never really understood why the chemical was effective

Mar 14, 2012 21:31 GMT  ·  By

Though people suffering from bipolar disorder have been treated with lithium for the better part of the last six decades, very few researchers have taken an interest in determining why the chemical actually works. This gap in knowledge was recently covered by a new study.

According to investigators, the chemical's positive effects are largely owed to the influence it has on the body clock and the human brain. The discovery could lead to the creation of novel therapies for other conditions that are related to the circadian rhythm.

Such treatments exist today, but they have a large number of side-effects. Scientists hope to be able to reduce this number by adding lithium to the mix in well-defined quantities. The new investigation was carried out by scientists at the University of Manchester, in the United Kingdom.

The work was coordinated by UM Faculty of Life Sciences professor Dr. Qing-Jun Meng, who believes that disruptions in the circadian rhythm may be the cause of the extreme mood swings that characterize bipolar disorders.

This rhythm is in charge of regulating the way our bodies respond to the day-night cycle. Chemical changes occur inside our bodies depending on whether the Sun rises or sets, and any disruptions in the way they are supposed to work can have negative impacts on our health.

“By tracking the dynamics of a key clock protein, we discovered that lithium increased the strength of the clockwork in cells up to threefold by blocking the actions of an enzyme called glycogen synthase kinase or GSK3,” Meng explains.

The discoveries provide a “novel explanation as to how lithium may be able to stabilize mood swings in bipolar patients,” he goes on to say. It also shows how researchers may avoid side effects such as nausea, acne, thirstiness, muscle weakness, tremor, sedation and/or confusion, PsychCentral reports.

Details of the new study appear in the latest issue of PLoS ONE, a journal published by the Public Library of Science. “Drugs which only block the actions of GSK3 would therefore have the major advantage of reduced ‘off-target’ effects of lithium,” Meng adds.