A research group led by Associate Professor Takehisa Matsukawa of Juntendo University School of Medicine, Associate Professor Shuntaro Ando of the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, and Hideto Suzuki, former director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Medical Examiner's Office, found that the lithium concentration in the aqueous fluid of suicidal people is non-suicidal. found to be lower thanThis is the first research to analyze the aqueous humor of the eye, which does not change much after death, and compare the lithium concentration in the body.

 According to Juntendo University, from March 2018 to June 3, the research group collected the aqueous humor secreted by the ciliary body of the eyeball from 2021 dead people who were autopsied or autopsied at the Tokyo Medical Examiner's Office. , the lithium concentration was measured.As a result, suicidal subjects had significantly lower lithium concentrations in aqueous fluid than non-suicidal subjects.

 Previous studies have suggested that trace levels of lithium in food are effective in preventing suicide, and there are reports that there is a correlation between lithium levels in drinking water and local suicide rates.Lithium carbonate has been used to treat manic depression since 1949 and is thought to reduce aggression and impulsivity and help prevent suicide.

 The research group believes that this study has confirmed that lithium has the effect of preventing suicide.There are approximately 70 suicides worldwide each year, and the increase in the younger generation has been noticeable in Japan.

Paper information:[Translational Psychiatry] Comparison of lithium levels between suicide and non-suicide fatalities: Cross-sectional study

Juntendo University

Co-creating a new era with the keywords "sports" and "health"

A traditional school with 185 years of history.It is a comprehensive health university consisting of 8 faculties, 4 graduate schools, and 6 affiliated hospitals: Medicine, Sports and Health Science, Medical Nursing, Health Nursing, International Liberal Arts, Health and Medical Sciences, Medical Science, and Health Data Science.Furthermore, in April 2024, we are preparing to open the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (provisional name) […]

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