Valproic acid: historical background and prospects for use in urgent psychiatric practice

The expansion of indications for the use of valproic acid (VK) has been noted since the end of the 20th century. On the one hand, this is due to the pharmacodynamics of the drug and the favorable profile of its clinical action, and on the other hand, the emergence of modern dosage forms that determine the ease of use. By analogy with carbamazepine, the therapeutic activity of VK began to be studied in mental disorders. Along with the thymostabilizing effect similar to lithium, VK began to be used for the treatment of not only affective fluctuations, but also for the prevention of secondary exacerbations of endogenous progressive pathology of the schizophrenia spectrum. With the development of a concept based on the interaction of neural networks, in the absence of a primary effect on mediator homeostasis, the prospects for the use of VK in psychiatry are not limited to what has been said. Due to the emergence of a dosage form for parenteral administration, the prospects for the use of VK in the treatment of urgent conditions have significant prospects for application in psychiatric practice. Key words: valproic acid (VA), pharmacodynamics, neural networks, neuronal excitability, mental pathology, neurometabolic action.