Intracellular calcium ions in affective disorders: a review and an hypothesis.

Recent advances in knowledge about calcium's role as an intracellular regulator promise to broaden our understanding of possible pathophysiologic mechanisms in affective disorders. In this paper, we review the influence of calcium on mood, the intracellular dynamics of the calcium ion, and the possible interaction of lithium with these actions. We then discuss similarities with lithium of calcium antagonists, a class of drugs that influences calcium's action within cells, and report preliminary findings of their possible usefulness in treating mania. Finally, we hypothesize ways in which alterations in intracellular calcium ion concentration may be associated with mania and depression, and suggest methods of studying this hypothesis.