Elucidating the pivotal molecular mechanisms, therapeutic and neuroprotective effects of lithium in traumatic brain injury.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to damage to brain tissue by mechanical or blunt force via trauma. TBI is often associated with impaired cognitive abilities, like difficulties in memory, learning, attention, and other higher brain functions, that typically remain for years after the injury. Lithium is an elementary light metal that is only utilized in salt form due to its high intrinsic reactivity. This current review discusses the molecular mechanisms and therapeutic and neuroprotective effects of lithium in TBI. METHOD: The "Boolean logic" was used to search for articles on the subject matter in PubMed and PubMed Central, as well as Google Scholar. RESULTS: Lithium's therapeutic action is extremely complex, involving multiple effects on gene secretion, neurotransmitter or receptor-mediated signaling, signal transduction processes, circadian modulation, as well as ion transport. Lithium is able to normalize multiple short- as well as long-term modifications in neuronal circuits that ultimately result in disparity in cortical excitation and inhibition activated by TBI. Also, lithium levels are more distinct in the hippocampus, thalamus, neo-cortex, olfactory bulb, amygdala as well as the gray matter of the cerebellum following treatment of TBI. CONCLUSION: Lithium attenuates neuroinflammation and neuronal toxicity as well as protects the brain from edema, hippocampal neurodegeneration, loss of hemispheric tissues, and enhanced memory as well as spatial learning after TBI.

Akt and AMPK activators rescue hyperexcitability in neurons from patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a multifactorial psychiatric illness affecting ∼1% of the global adult population. Lithium (Li), is the most effective mood stabilizer for BD but works only for a subset of patients and its mechanism of action remains largely elusive. METHODS: In the present study, we used iPSC-derived neurons from patients with BD who are responsive (LR) or not (LNR) to lithium. Combined electrophysiology, calcium imaging, biochemistry, transcriptomics, and phosphoproteomics were employed to provide mechanistic insights into neuronal hyperactivity in BD, investigate Li's mode of action, and identify alternative treatment strategies. FINDINGS: We show a selective rescue of the neuronal hyperactivity phenotype by Li in LR neurons, correlated with changes to Na+ conductance. Whole transcriptome sequencing in BD neurons revealed altered gene expression pathways related to glutamate transmission, alterations in cell signalling and ion transport/channel activity. We found altered Akt signalling as a potential therapeutic effect of Li in LR neurons from patients with BD, and that Akt activation mimics Li effect in LR neurons. Furthermore, the increased neural network activity observed in both LR & LNR neurons from patients with BD were reversed by AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. INTERPRETATION: These results suggest potential for new treatment strategies in BD, such as Akt activators in LR cases, and the use of AMPK activators for LNR patients with BD. FUNDING: Supported by funding from ERA PerMed, Bell Brain Canada Mental Research Program and Brain & Behavior Research Foundation.

Effects of Plasmapheresis on Serum Lithium Levels in an ICU Patient with Bipolar Disorder: A Case Study.

ABSTRACT: This is a case description of a patient with bipolar disorder undergoing lithium therapy who received plasmapheresis for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder. Plasmapheresis resulted in lower and subtherapeutic serum lithium levels. Using therapeutic drug monitoring, a dose escalation of 80% was necessary to maintain therapeutic serum lithium levels. This underscores the importance of individualized therapy through therapeutic drug monitoring.

Mortality risk and mood stabilizers in bipolar disorder: a propensity-score-weighted population-based cohort study in 2002-2018.

AIMS: Accumulating studies have assessed mortality risk associated with mood-stabilizers, the mainstay treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). However, existing data were mostly restricted to suicide risk, focused on lithium and valproate and rarely adequately adjusted for potential confounders. This study aimed to assess comparative mortality risk with all, natural and unnatural causes between lithium, valproate and three frequently prescribed second-generation antipsychotics (SGA), with adjustment for important confounders. METHODS: This population-based cohort study identified 8137 patients with first-diagnosed BD, who had exposed to lithium (n = 1028), valproate (n = 3580), olanzapine (n = 797), quetiapine (n = 1975) or risperidone (n = 757) between 2002 and 2018. Data were retrieved from territory-wide medical-record database of public healthcare services in Hong Kong. Propensity-score (PS)-weighting method was applied to optimize control for potential confounders including pre-existing chronic physical diseases, substance/alcohol use disorders and other psychotropic medications. PS-weighted Cox proportional-hazards regression was conducted to assess risk of all-, natural- and unnatural-cause mortality related to each mood-stabilizer, compared to lithium. Three sets of sensitivity analyses were conducted by restricting to patients with (i) length of cumulative exposure to specified mood-stabilizer ≥90 days and its medication possession ratio (MPR) ≥90%, (ii) MPR of specified mood-stabilizer ≥80% and MPR of other studied mood-stabilizers <20% and (iii) monotherapy. RESULTS: Incidence rates of all-cause mortality per 1000 person-years were 5.9 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.5-7.6), 8.4 (7.4-9.5), 11.1 (8.3-14.9), 7.4 (6.0-9.2) and 12.0 (9.3-15.6) for lithium-, valproate-, olanzapine-, quetiapine- and risperidone-treated groups, respectively. BD patients treated with olanzapine (PS-weighted hazard ratio = 2.07 [95% CI: 1.33-3.22]) and risperidone (1.66 [1.08-2.55]) had significantly higher all-cause mortality rate than lithium-treated group. Olanzapine was associated with increased risk of natural-cause mortality (3.04 [1.54-6.00]) and risperidone was related to elevated risk of unnatural-cause mortality (3.33 [1.62-6.86]), relative to lithium. The association between olanzapine and increased natural-cause mortality rate was consistently affirmed in sensitivity analyses. Relationship between risperidone and elevated unnatural-cause mortality became non-significant in sensitivity analyses restricted to low MPR in other mood-stabilizers and monotherapy. Valproate- and lithium-treated groups did not show significant differences in all-, natural- or unnatural-cause mortality risk. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that olanzapine and risperidone were associated with higher mortality risk than lithium, and further supported the clinical guidelines recommending lithium as the first-line mood-stabilizer for BD. Future research is required to further clarify comparative mortality risk associated with individual SGA agents to facilitate risk-benefit evaluation of alternative mood-stabilizers to minimize avoidable premature mortality in BD.

In-silico functional analyses identify TMPRSS15-mediated intestinal absorption of lithium as a modulator of lithium response in bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic response to lithium in patients with bipolar disorder is highly variable and has a polygenic basis. Genome-wide association studies investigating lithium response have identified several relevant loci, though the precise mechanisms driving these associations are poorly understood. We aimed to prioritise the most likely effector gene and determine the mechanisms underlying an intergenic lithium response locus on chromosome 21 identified by the International Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLi+Gen). METHODS: We conducted in-silico functional analyses by integrating and synthesising information from several publicly available functional genetic datasets and databases including the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and HaploReg. RESULTS: The findings from this study highlighted TMPRSS15 as the most likely effector gene at the ConLi+Gen lithium response locus. TMPRSS15 encodes enterokinase, a gastrointestinal enzyme responsible for converting trypsinogen into trypsin and thus aiding digestion. Convergent findings from gene-based lookups in human and mouse databases as well as co-expression network analyses of small intestinal RNA-seq data (GTEx) implicated TMPRSS15 in the regulation of intestinal nutrient absorption, including ions like sodium and potassium, which may extend to lithium. LIMITATIONS: Although the findings from this study indicated that TMPRSS15 was the most likely effector gene at the ConLi+Gen lithium response locus, the evidence was circumstantial. Thus, the conclusions from this study need to be validated in appropriately designed wet-lab studies. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study are consistent with a model whereby TMPRSS15 impacts the efficacy of lithium treatment in patients with bipolar disorder by modulating intestinal lithium absorption.

Lithium Therapy's Potential to Lower Dementia Risk and the Prevalence of Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Dementia is a neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset and progressive progression, of which the most common type is Alzheimer's disease (AD). Lithium, a trace element in the body, has neuroprotective properties. However, whether lithium can treat dementia or AD remains a highly controversial topic. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis. METHODS: A systematic literature review was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Comparison of the effects of lithium on AD or dementia in terms of use, duration, and dosage, and meta-analysis to test whether lithium therapy is beneficial in ameliorating the onset of dementia or AD. Sensitivity analyses were performed using a stepwise exclusion method. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of included studies. We determined the relative risk (RR) between patient groups using a random-effects model. RESULTS: A total of seven studies were included. The forest plot results showed that taking lithium therapy reduced the risk of AD (RR 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44-0.78) and is also protective in reducing the risk of dementia (RR 0.66, 95% CI: 0.56-0.77). The duration of lithium therapy was able to affect dementia incidence (RR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.55-0.88); however, it is unclear how this effect might manifest in AD. It is also uncertain how many prescriptions for lithium treatment lower the chance of dementia development. CONCLUSION: The duration of treatment and the usage of lithium therapy seem to lower the risk of AD and postpone the onset of dementia.

Successful Treatment of Lithium-Induced Nephrogenic Diabetes Insipidus with Celecoxib: A Promising Therapeutic Option.

BACKGROUND Nephrogenic diabetic insipidus (NDI) poses a challenge in clinical management, particularly when associated with lithium ingestion. Non-selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been widely used for the treatment of numerous diseases worldwide, including NDI. However, many studies have reported the diverse adverse effects of long-term use of non-selective NSAIDs. Celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, is a better drug to relieve pain and inflammation in terms of long-term safety and efficacy than non-selective NSAIDs. Nevertheless, there are few reports describing the effectiveness of celecoxib in treating NDI. CASE REPORT We report a case of a 46-year-old woman with schizophrenia who presented with severe hypernatremia and refractory polyuria due to lithium-induced NDI. Cessation of lithium ingestion and traditional treatments, including trichlormethiazide and desmopressin, yielded minimal improvement in her hypernatremia and polyuria. Her sodium level needed to be strictly controlled with the infusion of dextrose 5% in water. Given the safety of celecoxib, we decided to initiate celecoxib as the treatment of lithium-induced NDI instead of indomethacin. Notably, the introduction of celecoxib led to a substantial and sustained amelioration of polyuria and hypernatremia without any celecoxib-associated adverse effects. Even after transfer to another hospital, stability in serum sodium levels persisted with celecoxib. CONCLUSIONS We presented a case of lithium-induced NDI successfully treated with celecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of successful treatment of lithium-induced NDI with celecoxib, and suggests celecoxib is a viable therapeutic option warranting further exploration. Physicians should consider its use when faced with the challenging management of lithium-induced NDI.

Immunogenetics of lithium response and psychiatric phenotypes in patients with bipolar disorder.

The link between bipolar disorder (BP) and immune dysfunction remains controversial. While epidemiological studies have long suggested an association, recent research has found only limited evidence of such a relationship. To clarify this, we performed an exploratory study of the contributions of immune-relevant genetic factors to the response to lithium (Li) treatment and the clinical presentation of BP. First, we assessed the association of a large collection of immune-related genes (4925) with Li response, defined by the Retrospective Assessment of the Lithium Response Phenotype Scale (Alda scale), and clinical characteristics in patients with BP from the International Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLi+Gen, N = 2374). Second, we calculated here previously published polygenic scores (PGSs) for immune-related traits and evaluated their associations with Li response and clinical features. Overall, we observed relatively weak associations (p < 1 × 10-4) with BP phenotypes within immune-related genes. Network and functional enrichment analyses of the top findings from the association analyses of Li response variables showed an overrepresentation of pathways participating in cell adhesion and intercellular communication. These appeared to converge on the well-known Li-induced inhibition of GSK-3ß. Association analyses of age-at-onset, number of mood episodes, and presence of psychosis, substance abuse and/or suicidal ideation suggested modest contributions of genes such as RTN4, XKR4, NRXN1, NRG1/3 and GRK5 to disease characteristics. PGS analyses returned weak associations (p < 0.05) between inflammation markers and the studied BP phenotypes. Our results suggest a modest relationship between immunity and clinical features in BP. More research is needed to assess the potential therapeutic relevance.

Microdose lithium improves behavioral deficits and modulates molecular mechanisms of memory formation in female SAMP-8, a mouse model of accelerated aging.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neuronal disorder that leads to the development of dementia. Until nowadays, some therapies may alleviate the symptoms, but there is no pharmacological treatment. Microdosing lithium has been used to modify the pathological characteristics of the disease, with effects in both experimental and clinical conditions. The present work aimed to analyze the effects of this treatment on spatial memory, anxiety, and molecular mechanisms related to long-term memory formation during the aging process of a mouse model of accelerated aging (SAMP-8). Female SAMP-8 showed learning and memory impairments together with disruption of memory mechanisms, neuronal loss, and increased density of senile plaques compared to their natural control strain, the senescence-accelerated mouse resistant (SAMR-1). Chronic treatment with lithium promoted memory maintenance, reduction in anxiety, and maintenance of proteins related to memory formation and neuronal density. The density of senile plaques was also reduced. An increase in the density of gamma-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) and α7 nicotinic cholinergic receptors was also observed and related to neuroprotection and anxiety reduction. In addition, this microdose of lithium inhibited the activation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3ß), the classical mechanism of lithium cell effects, which could contribute to the preservation of the memory mechanism and reduction in senile plaque formation. This work shows that lithium effects in neuroprotection along the aging process are not related to a unique cellular mechanism but produce multiple effects that slowly protect the brain along the aging process.

Case Report on High Dose Lithium Treatment for Post-COVID Depression, Recurrent Fevers, and Skin Lesions.

This is a case of a 35-year-old woman who presented with an 18-month history of post (long)-COVID depression and exhaustion along with recurrent fevers and treatment-resistant skin boils, all of which abated with lithium treatment at a serum level of 1.14 mmol/L, and all of which worsened when the lithium serum level was lowered to 0.8. This paper illustrates Lithium's effectiveness in the treatment of post (long)-COVID syndrome, though a higher serum concentration may be required.

Existing and Emerging Technologies for Therapeutic Monitoring of Lithium: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Lithium is an effective psychoactive drug. It has a narrow therapeutic margin, with subtherapeutic levels or intoxication commonly occurring. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of lithium has several barriers. This scoping review aims to describe and analyze existing and emerging technologies for lithium TDM and to describe the lithium quantification parameters (precision, accuracy, detection limit) attributed to each technology. METHOD: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched. Studies that described lithium quantification and complied with PRISMA-ScR guidelines were included. Articles selection was conducted by 2 researchers. Good precision was defined if its relative standard deviation <3%; acceptable, from 3% to 5%; and low, >5%. Accuracy was considered good if the error <5%; acceptable, 5%1 to 0%; and low if it was >10%. RESULTS: Of the 2008 articles found, 22 met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 14 studies concerned laboratory devices, in which precision was found to be low in one third of cases, and half had good precision. Accuracy of one third was good, another third was low, and the remaining third did not report accuracy. The other 8 studies concerned portable devices, in which precision was low in more than 60% of the cases and good in 25% of the studies. Accuracy was low in 50% of the cases, and good in just over a third. Limits of detection included the therapeutic range of lithium in all studies. CONCLUSIONS: Among emerging technologies for lithium TDM, precision and accuracy remain a challenge, particularly for portable devices.

Possible association between lithium intoxication and Takotsubo syndrome.

More than 25 years after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and receiving continuous treatment with lithium, a woman develops Takotsubo syndrome.

Pathogenesis or a response to lithium? A novel perspective for mitochondrial mass fluctuation of naïve T cells in patients with bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Immune imbalances are associated with the pathogenesis and pharmacological efficacy of bipolar disorder (BD). The underlying mechanisms remain largely obscure but may involve immunometabolic dysfunctions of T-lymphocytes. METHODS: We investigated if inflammatory cytokines and the immunometabolic function of T-lymphocytes, including frequencies of subsets, mitochondrial mass (MM), and low mitochondrial membrane potential (MMPLow) differed between BD patients (n = 47) and healthy controls (HC, n = 43). During lithium treatment of hospitalized patients (n = 33), the association between weekly T-lymphocyte immune metabolism and clinical symptoms was analyzed, and preliminary explorations on possible mechanisms were conducted. RESULTS: In comparison to HC, BD patients predominantly showed a trend toward CD4+ naïve T (Tn) activation and exhibited mitochondrial metabolic disturbances such as decreased MM and increased MMPLow. Lower CD4+ Tn-MM correlated with elevated IL-6, IL-8, and decreased IL-17 A in BD patients. With lithium treatment effective, MM of CD4+ T/Tn was negatively correlated with depression score HAMD. When lithium intolerance was present, MM of CD4+ T/Tn was positively correlated with depression score HAMD and mania score BRMS. Lithium does not mediate through the inositol depletion hypothesis, but the mRNA level of IMPA2 in peripheral blood is associated with mitochondrial function in CD8+ T cells. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional design and short-term follow-up meant that we could not directly examine the causality of BD and immune dysregulation. CONCLUSION: The altered metabolism of CD4+ Tn was strongly associated with remodeling of the inflammatory landscape in BD patients and can also be used to reflect the short-term therapeutic effects of lithium.

Fourteen-year trends in prescribing patterns for patients with bipolar mania discharged from a public psychiatric hospital in Taiwan.

Bipolar disorder is a complex mental illness. Pharmacological therapy, including antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, is the primary treatment approach for manic episode. The study aimed to analyze prescribing patterns over a 14-year period for patients with bipolar mania discharged from a psychiatric hospital in Taiwan. Patients with bipolar mania discharged from the study hospital between 2006 and 2019 (n = 2956) were included in the analysis. Prescribed drugs for the treatment of manic episode, included mood stabilizers (i.e., lithium, valproate, carbamazepine) and any antipsychotics (i.e., second- and first-generation antipsychotics; SGAs & FGAs). Monotherapy, simple polypharmacy, and complex polypharmacy were also examined. Simple polypharmacy was defined as being prescribed 2 different bipolar drugs (lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, and any antipsychotics), while complex polypharmacy at least 3 bipolar drugs. Temporal trends of each prescribing pattern were analyzed using the Cochran-Armitage Trend test. The prescription rates of valproate, SGAs, and complex polypharmacy significantly increased over time, whereas the prescription rates of any mood stabilizers, FGAs, and simple polypharmacy significantly decreased. Prescription rates of lithium and monotherapy did not significantly change. The study highlights the shifts in prescribing practices for bipolar mania. SGAs were prescribed more while FGAs declined, likely due to SGAs' favorable properties. Complex polypharmacy increased, reflecting the complexity of treating bipolar disorder. Long-term outcomes of these changes require further research.

[High lithium serum level as maintenance treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder]. / Hoge lithiumspiegel als onderhoudsbehan­deling van rapid cycling bipolaire stoornis.

Bipolar disorder with a rapid cycling course can be difficult to treat, often involving therapy resistance. A 55-year old patient with bipolar disorder with rapid cycling course did not stabilize for years, despite various pharmacotherapeutic treatments. Only after lithium was introduced as a maintenance treatment at a level of around 1.20 mmol/l, a long-term stabilization of mood developed which also persisted. A literature review was performed which concluded that maintenance treatment with lithium at levels above 1.0 mmol/l in patients with rapid cycling bipolar disorder has not been adequately studied.

Nanolithium, a New Treatment Approach to Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of Existing Evidence and Clinical Perspectives.

Lithium has been approved and used for several decades in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, and its potential effect in neurodegenerative diseases has been subject to increasing research interest in recent years. Nanolithium is a new experimental product using a novel drug-delivery technology (Aonys®), which optimizes its bioavailability while reducing its toxicity profile. Therapeutic doses of lithium used in Nanolithium are more than 50 times lower than the minimal dose of classical lithium salts. In this review we report data from non-clinical pharmacology studies supporting Nanolithium efficacy and the mechanism of action in Alzheimer's disease. GSK-3ß inhibition is thought to be central to Nanolithium's mechanism of action, triggering a reduction of the production of toxic amyloid plaques and decrease in tau hyperphosphorylation, which could potentially benefit both neuropsychiatric symptoms and cognitive decline. We then summarize outcomes from non-clinical proof-of-concept studies. These data supported the initiation of a currently ongoing phase II proof-of-concept study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Nanolithium in patients with mild-to-severe Alzheimer's disease. We highlight key aspects of the study design. We finish this review with a discussion on the potential place of Nanolithium in the current and future Alzheimer's disease treatment landscape.

Lithium and disease modification: A systematic review and meta-analysis in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

The role of lithium as a possible therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases has generated scientific interest. We systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed pre-clinical and clinical studies that evidenced the neuroprotective effects of lithium in Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). We followed the PRISMA guidelines and performed the systematic literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. A total of 32 articles were identified. Twenty-nine studies were performed in animal models and 3 studies were performed on human samples of AD. A total of 17 preclinical studies were included in the meta-analysis. Our analysis showed that lithium treatment has neuroprotective effects in diseases. Lithium treatment reduced amyloid-ß and tau levels and significantly improved cognitive behavior in animal models of AD. Lithium increased the tyrosine hydroxylase levels and improved motor behavior in the PD model. Despite fewer clinical studies on these aspects, we evidenced the positive effects of lithium in AD patients. This study lends further support to the idea of lithium's therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative diseases.

Lithium response in bipolar disorder is associated with focal adhesion and PI3K-Akt networks: a multi-omics replication study.

Lithium is the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder (BD). However, its mechanism of action is incompletely understood, and prediction of treatment outcomes is limited. In our previous multi-omics study of the Pharmacogenomics of Bipolar Disorder (PGBD) sample combining transcriptomic and genomic data, we found that focal adhesion, the extracellular matrix (ECM), and PI3K-Akt signaling networks were associated with response to lithium. In this study, we replicated the results of our previous study using network propagation methods in a genome-wide association study of an independent sample of 2039 patients from the International Consortium on Lithium Genetics (ConLiGen) study. We identified functional enrichment in focal adhesion and PI3K-Akt pathways, but we did not find an association with the ECM pathway. Our results suggest that deficits in the neuronal growth cone and PI3K-Akt signaling, but not in ECM proteins, may influence response to lithium in BD.

Exploring the Neuroprotective Effects of Lithium in Ischemic Stroke: A literature review.

Ischemic stroke ranks among the foremost clinical causes of mortality and disability, instigating neuronal degeneration, fatalities, and various sequelae. While standard treatments, such as intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy, prove effective, they come with limitations. Hence, there is a compelling need to develop neuroprotective agents capable of improving the functional outcomes of the nervous system. Numerous preclinical studies have demonstrated that lithium can act in multiple molecular pathways, including glycogen synthase kinase 3(GSK-3), the Wnt signaling pathway, the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and glutamate receptors. Through these pathways, lithium has been shown to affect inflammation, autophagy, apoptosis, ferroptosis, excitotoxicity, and other pathological processes, thereby improving central nervous system (CNS) damage caused by ischemic stroke. Despite these promising preclinical findings, the number of clinical trials exploring lithium's efficacy remains limited. Additional trials are imperative to thoroughly ascertain the effectiveness and safety of lithium in clinical settings. This review delineates the mechanisms underpinning lithium's neuroprotective capabilities in the context of ischemic stroke. It elucidates the intricate interplay between these mechanisms and sheds light on the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammatory markers in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke. Furthermore, the review offers directions for future research, thereby advancing the understanding of the potential therapeutic utility of lithium and establishing a theoretical foundation for its clinical application.