The mood stabilizer lithium alters behaviour and physiology via the gut brain axis.
Daniel W. Thorpe, Yoichiro Ootsuka, Rochelle A. Peterson, Lauren A. Jones, Adam Humenick, Alyce M. Martin, Jett Zivkovic, Junichi Sakaguchi, Jack McArdle, Arne Ittner, Simon J. Brookes, Ali Habib, Rata Sirimaharaj, Youssef Tawodros, Michael J. Roach, , Damien J. Keating
This study shows lithium affects behavior and physiology through the gut-brain axis by activating gut enterochromaffin cells, challenging the belief that lithium acts directly on the brain.
bioRxiv · Jan 27, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience