title: Lithium in scalp hair of adults, students, and violent criminals. Effects of supplementation and evidence for interactions of lithium with vitamin B12 and with other trace elements.
abstract: The lithium content of human hair shows an approximately linear response to extradietary lithium supplementation at dosage levels of up to 2000 micrograms/d. From the mean hair lithium concentration of 0.063 micrograms/g in 2648 predominantly American adults, and the reference hair lithium concentrations determined in the present study, the mean lithium intakes were calculated to be 730 micrograms/d. Hair lithium concentrations were extremely low in nearly 20% of the American samples, and in samples collected in Munich, Germany and Vienna, Austria. Hair lithium levels are low in certain pathological conditions, e.g., heart disease, in learning-disabled subjects, and in incarcerated violent criminals. The highest levels were observed in samples of a lithium-treated psychiatric patient. A statistically highly significant direct association was observed between the hair lithium and cobalt concentrations, which suggests a role of lithium in the transport and distribution of vitamin B12. Interactions of lithium with other trace elements are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093.
authors.forename: G N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Schrauzer
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Shrestha
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Flores-Arce
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003035:Cobalt / Q000032:analysis; D006197:Hair / Q000737:chemistry*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008094:Lithium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis*; D008345:Manganese / Q000032:analysis; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000378:metabolism; D012535:Scalp; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014754:Violence; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D003035:Cobalt; D008345:Manganese; D008094:Lithium; D014805:Vitamin B 12