Long‐term lithium treatment and psychological functions

Abstract

A group of 50 long-term lithium-treated outpatients were investigated with psychological examinations in order to study cognitive and emotional functions (memory, attention, speed, loss of effort, level of processing, productivity, and reactivity). The test results were compared with the general norms for the test applied. In average the test results were within the normal range. The inter-test variations which quantitatively and qualitatively characterize the performance of the lithium-treated patients indicate a relative lowering of the level of memory and perceptual processing as well as loss of effort when compared to the level of attention, productivity, and emotional reactivity. These findings support the hypothesis of a lithium-determined delay of the rate of information processing, a hypothesis which may be related to neuropsychological model of the level of arousal.

Lithium and cognitive enhancement: leave it or take it?

“…In a study comparing the performance of long-term lithium-treated outpatients to the general norms, Lund et al (1982) noted results within the normal range apart from a minor deficit in memory and perceptual processing, which was attributed to lithium effects on arousal. Marusarz et al (1981) reported that memory performance and the underlying organizational processes of lithium-treated bipolar patients were not adversely affected by lithium treatment, compared to unmedicated controls.…”

Neurocognitive Functioning in Bipolar Disorder: A Comprehensive Review of Recent Data

“…Apart from reduced creativity, a general negative impact of lithium on neurocognitive function has been reported, especially on memory and psychomotor functioning (Squire et al 1980 ;Kocsis et al 1993 ;Honig et al 1999 ;Lund et al 1982 ;Kessing 1998 ), but fortunately the insult does not seem to be cumulative (Engelsmann et al 1988 ). More specifi cally, lithium impairs both mental and motor speed, shortterm memory and verbal or associative fl uency, but the defi cit is reversible when lithium is withdrawn and re-establishes when lithium is re-administered (Goldberg 2008 ;Shaw et al 1987 ;Kocsis et al 1993 ).…”

Lithium activates brain phospholipase A2 and improves memory in rats: implications for Alzheimer’s disease

“…These data, together with reports that lithium reduced the development of neurofibrillary tangles and the production of amyloid-beta [10,18,23], suggest that lithium treatment may be useful for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The effects of lithium in different types of memory in humans have been the focus of several studies, involving BPD patients [24][25][26][27] and non-diseased controls [28,29], with conflicting results regarding its effects over short-and long-term memory performance.…”