Lithium increases gray matter in the brain

Able to stabilize the mood swings of many people with manic depression, lithium revolutionized psychiatric therapy when the drug came on the scene several decades ago. Yet neuroscientists remain perplexed at how this potent medication works.

Scientists in Detroit have now provided a clue that could help resolve that mystery. They find that about a month of treatment with the drug increases the volume of gray matter in a person’s brain.