Treatment of the mutant mice with lithium — the same drug used
by psychiatrists for over half a century to treat patients with
severe mood swings in bipolar disorder — normalizes the number of spines (right).
Many of my patients experience PMS, and the more
severe PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder)-- which is characterized
by intense
mood swings, irritability, depression, or anxiety, panic attacks and psychosis in the most
severe cases — up to two weeks before their periods.