An earlier study by other investigators looked at the levels of N-acetyl aspartate, a marker of neuronal viability, before and after 4 weeks of lithium therapy both in 12 untreated bipolar patients and 9 healthy controls.
The study found a 5% increase in N-acetyl aspartate concentrations after therapy in both study groups (Biol. Psychiatry 2000;48:1-8).
“Although the studies are small, they do suggest that perhaps lithium has neurotrophic properties that could be preventing or reversing these changes,” he said.
