Antiaggressive effect of lithium ion in man

Abstract

Aggression should be related to easily identifiable behavior: angry threats or actual assaults. Aspects of behavior not meeting these criteria but relevant to a study of aggression should be described using appropriate terms such as social dominance, initiative, etc. With these conventions, examination of the heterogeneous literature on L treatment of aggression demonstrated that L exerts an antiaggressive effect in man. A number of hypotheses for the antiaggressive effect were examined using previous studies and new behavioral and biochemical data. The antiaggressive effect was not due to any of the following: L toxicity or side-effects; subjective or objective weakness; increased reaction time; reduced coordination or motor performance; frank cognitive deficits; hypothyroidism; reduction of serum testosterone; placebo effect; or underlying manic-depressive illness. Putative thymoleptic properties of L were too ambiguous to constitute an explanation of L actions in man.