Ongoing lithium treatment prevents relapse after total sleep deprivation

Forty bipolar depressed inpatients underwent three consecutive cycles of total sleep deprivation (TSD). At the beginning of the study, 20 patients were free of psychotropic drugs and 20 had been receiving lithium medication for at least 6 months. Mood was rated on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression before and after TSD; perceived mood changes during treatment were evaluated with self-administered visual analog scales. Patients undergoing long-term lithium treatment showed a significantly better response to TSD as rated on both scales: 13 of 20 patients (vs. 2 of 20 patients without lithium) showed a sustained response during a follow-up period of 3 months. This preliminary evidence of a positive interaction of TSD and long-term lithium treatment could be explained by a synergistic effect of both treatments on brain serotonergic function, possibly via a desensitization of 5-hydroxytryptamine-1A inhibitory autoreceptors.