BCL2 and central nervous system cancer: Although several earlier studies examined bcl-2 expression following chronic lithium exposure, those works were performed on transformed glial cell models, including human SVG p12 astroglial cells, rat C6 glioma cells,26 and U87 human glioma cells, with and without ER stress induction,27 no changes were found with lithium at therapeutically relevant concentrations (0.75-2 mM).