Researchers at KAIST identify reasons for lithium treatment resistance in bipolar disorder patients
Published: 10 Sep. 2025, 14:53
-
- LIM JEONG-WON
- [email protected]
![A view of the KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) campus in Daejeon [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/10/e62957d8-4029-47a5-919d-d181e6dbc800.jpg)
A view of the KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) campus in Daejeon [JOONGANG ILBO]
A team of researchers at KAIST has identified why some patients with bipolar disorder don't respond to lithium treatment, opening up the possibility of new treatment methods for the disorder.
Bipolar disorder, a mental health condition marked by repeated episodes of mania and depression, affects roughly 1 to 2 percent of the global population. Those living with the condition face a dramatically higher risk of extreme outcomes, including suicide, which is 10 to 30 times more likely than in the general population.
Lithium has long been the gold standard treatment for bipolar disorder, but not all patients respond to it. Understanding why some people benefit while others do not has been a major challenge for clinicians, until now.
Researchers at KAIST, led by Professor Han Jin-ju of the Graduate School of Medical Science and Engineering, have made a breakthrough in understanding why lithium is effective for some patients but not others. Their study, "Differential effects of lithium on metabolic dysfunctions in astrocytes derived from bipolar disorder patients," published in the Molecular Psychiatry journal on Aug. 22, examined the role of astrocytes instead of neurons.
Astrocytes are star-shaped cells in the brain that support neurons and maintain the brain’s environment, and make up roughly half of the brain’s cells.
![A diagram showing testing of astrocytes, star-shaped cells in the brain, in a research by KAIST scientists regarding lithium responsiveness in bipolar disorder patients [SCREEN CAPTURE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/10/fbe3fc96-679d-47be-aad9-10493247f2ea.jpg)
A diagram showing testing of astrocytes, star-shaped cells in the brain, in a research by KAIST scientists regarding lithium responsiveness in bipolar disorder patients [SCREEN CAPTURE]
While studies of bipolar disorder have traditionally focused on neurons, Han’s team turned their attention to astrocytes. Using stem cells derived from patients’ cells, the team created astrocytes in the lab and observed how their metabolism responded to lithium.
The results were striking. Astrocytes from lithium-responsive patients showed clear improvement when treated with lithium. Small lipid droplets inside the cells decreased, and energy metabolism stabilized. In contrast, astrocytes from nonresponsive patients showed no such improvement.
Further analysis revealed that lithium-responsive and nonresponsive astrocytes produced distinct metabolic by-products, suggesting that energy metabolism in the brain is fundamentally different depending on the patient’s response to lithium. Nonresponsive astrocytes were also more likely to absorb fatty acids from neurons, potentially contributing to excessive neuronal activity, a hallmark of bipolar disorder.
This discovery shows that astrocytes play a central role in regulating brain energy metabolism in bipolar disorder.
![Patients at a university hospital in Daejeon are seen on Sept. 1. [KIM SUNG-TAE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/10/51a3e31c-25d5-49fe-b639-e6ba22bb8d6d.jpg)
Patients at a university hospital in Daejeon are seen on Sept. 1. [KIM SUNG-TAE]
“By targeting astrocytes, we may be able to develop new treatments for patients who don’t respond to current medications, and create more personalized strategies for managing the condition,” said Han.
The study not only sheds light on why lithium works for some patients but also provides a road map for designing new drugs specifically tailored to bipolar disorder. Researchers suggest that the differences in astrocyte metabolism and their by-products could serve as biomarkers for patient-specific drug screening, potentially paving the way for more effective, individualized therapies.
The new research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute, and involved first authors Baek Gyu-hyeon, Kim Da-yeon, Son Geu-rim and Do Hyun-su.
BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)