Research on Lithium Shows Potential To Treat Alzheimer’s DiseaseA new Harvard study on mice revealed that small doses of the metal reversed symptoms.
At Harvard Medical School, research scientists may have found a key ingredient that could have a major impact on ways to detect and treat Alzheimer’s disease. As a bonus, it’s […]
At Harvard Medical School, research scientists may have found a key ingredient that could have a major impact on ways to detect and treat Alzheimer’s disease. As a bonus, it’s a cheap and accessible metal that naturally occurs in the body and has already been used in medicine: lithium.
The study, published in August in the medical journal Nature, suggests a lithium deficiency in the brain might be associated with the increase in the plaques linked with Alzheimer’s disease.
In their study, researchers administered a lithium compound to mice in amounts equal to natural lithium levels in the mice’s brains.
The researchers found that the compound, lithium orotate, reversed the symptoms and plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, restoring brain function, including memory.
Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia that most commonly affects older adults. Symptoms include memory problems, severe mood swings, cognitive decline, and delusions. It is a progressive disease, eventually leading to difficulty moving and communicating. After diagnosis, patients live an average of four to eight years.
Some 7.2 million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2025, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Only limited treatment types are available, and they mainly help with temporary symptom progression.
Despite the implications of this potential breakthrough with lithium, humans have a long road of clinical trials ahead of them: studies thus far have been on only mice and human brain tissue (postmortem).
“You never know until you try it in a controlled human clinical trial,” said Bruce A. Yankner, a professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard and lead researcher of the study. “But so far the results are very encouraging.”
As Harvard’s news release announcing the findings reported, scientists had in earlier studies narrowed down lithium as a potential factor in Alzheimer’s progression. They did so by comparing its levels among three groups of people: cognitively healthy individuals, those with early signs of cognitive impairment and those with advanced Alzheimer’s disease. Lithium was the only metal out of around 30 different types that varied significantly among people in each group.
“Lithium turns out to be like other nutrients we get from the environment, such as iron and vitamin C,” Yankner said. “It’s the first time anyone’s shown that lithium exists at a natural level that’s biologically meaningful without giving it as a drug.”
While certain forms of lithium are commonly used to treat mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder or depression, those involve much higher concentrations. Older adults given similar doses at these levels may experience toxicity.
The dosage to potentially repair cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients would match the amounts typically in the brain, and thus be significantly lower. The mice from the study showed no symptoms of toxicity.
The specific cause of Alzheimer’s has historically baffled scientists and doctors. Research hasn’t provided the full picture of everything that causes and treats the disease. While they know the presence of certain amyloid plaques and proteins is often involved, some people with these plaques do not develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Lithium deficiency may be the final puzzle piece required for early diagnosis or treatment of the disease. It will not only potentially save lives but also improve the lives of millions of families around the world.
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia significantly affect entire families. Not only do most dementia patients require round-the-clock care, but families also must face the challenges of profound memory loss. Beloved family members are frequently forgotten, which is a tall emotional hurdle that adds to the grief of the diagnosis and poor prognosis.
These findings required nearly a decade of research, and researchers hope the findings encourage research in human clinical trials, potentially aiding in the diagnosis, treatment, or even cure of Alzheimer’s.
May We Suggest:
‘Exploding’ Cells? Swedish Scientists Discover Potential Cancer Treatment for Glioblastoma MultiformeCalico Picks Up Steam: Cynthia Kenyon Joins Google ‘Anti-Death’ ProjectHIV Virus Cure: Can Soy Sauce Save the Day?
Leave a Reply