Lithium effects in the frontolimbic circuitry: a systematic review of neuroimaging findings in bipolar disorder.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Lithium is a cornerstone treatment for bipolar disorder, but the biological mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain incompletely defined. We adopt a network-level, cross-modal perspective focused on frontolimbic circuitry and explicitly examine links between neuroimaging findings and clinical lithium response.

Methods

Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed and Embase to September 3, 2025. Studies of humans were eligible when they compared lithium-treated bipolar subjects with non-lithium bipolar subjects, other treatment, healthy controls, or within-subject baselines. Risk of bias was assessed with RoB 2, ROBINS-I, NOS/NOS-CS, and BrainNet Europe criteria, as appropriate.

Results

We included 115 studies (randomized, n = 6; non-random

SUBMITTER: Boere E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12916775 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature