title: Mood stabilizers and ion regulation.
abstract: Understanding the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of bipolar disorder is a prerequisite for accelerating the development of effective therapeutic agents and interventions. One of the best clues to these processes lies in shared mechanisms of action of mood-stabilizing agents. All effective mood stabilizers share the ability to attenuate the influx and intracellular accumulation of sodium in an activity-dependent manner. When coupled with independent observations of aberrant ion regulation in mania and bipolar depression, this shared characteristic is potentially significant. A unified hypothesis is presented in which lithium, valproic acid, and carbamazepine are suggested to produce antimanic effects by modifying ion flux and intracellular ion concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Mood Disorders Research Program, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: El-Mallakh
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Huff
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D018692:Antimanic Agents; D007473:Ion Channels; D002220:Carbamazepine; D014635:Valproic Acid; D008094:Lithium