Recent research conducted by Tel Aviv University has identified a potential way for how to improve the effectiveness of lithium treatment in patients with bipolar disorder.

The study, which is published in the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, acknowledged that lithium is currently one of the most effective ways to treat those with the disorder, but it also highlighted the fact that approximately 50 per cent of patients fail to respond to such treatment.

Members of the research team at Tel Aviv University analysed the in vitro effects of growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is similar to insulin, on how lithium sensitivity changed in blood cells.

Patients that were studied included individuals with bipolar disorder that were responsive to lithium and those that were not.

Results indicated that when IGF-1 was added to the cultured blood cells it increased lithium sensitivity for the bipolar disorder patients who did not typically respond to therapy.

Dr. David Gurwitz, who was pivotal in leading the study along with postgraduate student Dr. Elena Milanesi, said: “Lithium has been considered the cornerstone in the management of bipolar disorder for over 50 years, even though half of patients do not sufficiently respond to chronic lithium treatment.

“It is often prescribed as the first-line treatment for bipolar disorder.

“If it works, patients take it for years.

“If not, they have to explore alternatives which haven’t proven as effective in long-term clinical studies.”

The study has paved the way for further research into how IGF-1 could potentially help patients who would not normally respond to the most common treatment for bipolar disorder.