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The ups and downs of lithium

机译：锂的起伏

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"He sleeps normally, eats normally," says Sarah. "He's a fairly typical kid." Her son is one of millions of patients with bipolar disorder (BPD)―manic depression―whose lives have been transformed by lithium. Children with the condition can see-saw between energetic highs and listless lows many times a day. Adults suffer similar swings, albeit at less frequent intervals. During periods of mania, sufferers can experience euphoria and exercise poor judgement, perhaps going on spending sprees. Depressive episodes bring on fatigue, pessimism and anxiety. But lithium, administered as a salt, puts sufferers on an even keel, freeing some parents from the need to provide constant care for children with BPD. "One minute he'd be bouncing off the walls and giddy, the next minute he'd be crying," recalls Sarah. "Now, he has settled down within himself and can play with other children." Despite being the most widely used treatment for BPD for over 30 years, lithium is an enigma: no one knows how it works. Even though it can transform lives, little funding is being channelled into clinical studies of the drug. Lithium cannot be patented, so drug companies are investigating more profitable alternatives. Many doctors are increasingly avoiding the treatment, fearing that it is difficult to prescribe. Lithium, it seems, is in need of some good PR. Help may be at hand. Recent results have linked the drug to an enzyme involved in a range of cellular processes. The new studies could explain why lithium works, and provide hints about how it could treat other conditions, including Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. If these approaches bear fruit, lithium could become the 'aspirin of the brain'―just as aspirin is used to combat conditions from arthritis to heart attacks, lithium could treat a range of neurological disorders.
机译：萨拉说：“他正常睡眠，正常饮食。” “他是一个非常典型的孩子。”她的儿子是数百万患有双相情感障碍（BPD）（躁狂抑郁症）的患者之一，他们的生活因锂而改变。患有这种疾病的儿童每天可以多次在精力充沛的高点和无精打采的低点之间摇摆。成年人遭受类似的挥舞，尽管间隔不那么频繁。在躁狂症发作期间，患者可能会感到欣快和判断力不佳，也许还会继续花钱。抑郁发作会导致疲劳，悲观和焦虑。但是，以盐形式施用的锂使患者处于平坦的龙骨上，使一些父母免于为BPD儿童提供持续护理的需要。莎拉回忆说：“一分钟他会从墙壁上跳下来，头晕，下一分钟他会哭。” “现在，他已经安定下来，可以和其他孩子一起玩了。”尽管锂是BPD使用30多年来最广泛的治疗方法，但锂仍然是一个谜：没人知道它是如何工作的。尽管它可以改变生活，但很少有资金用于该药物的临床研究。锂无法获得专利，因此制药公司正在研究更具利润的替代品。由于担心开处方困难，许多医生越来越避免使用这种疗法。锂似乎需要良好的公关。可能会有帮助。最近的结果已经将该药物与参与一系列细胞过程的酶相关联。这项新研究可以解释锂为何起作用，并暗示其如何治疗其他疾病，包括阿尔茨海默氏病和精神分裂症。如果这些方法取得成果，那么锂就可能成为“大脑的阿司匹林”，就像阿司匹林用于应对从关节炎到心脏病发作的疾病一样，锂也可以治疗一系列神经系统疾病。

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  • 来源
    《Nature》 |2003年第6954期|p.118-120|共3页
  • 作者

    Helen R. Pilcher;

  • 作者单位

    Nature's news syndication team;

  • 收录信息 美国《科学引文索引》(SCI);美国《工程索引》(EI);美国《生物学医学文摘》(MEDLINE);美国《化学文摘》(CA);
  • 原文格式 PDF
  • 正文语种 eng
  • 中图分类 自然科学总论;
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