Lithium May Combat Alzheimer's Disease, Data Suggest

Key Takeaways

Endogenous lithium levels were lower in the prefrontal cortex of people with Alzheimer's and mild cognitive impairment.

Lithium depletion in mouse models led to increased amyloid and accelerated memory decline.

Disrupted lithium homeostasis may be an early Alzheimer's trigger, suggesting new therapeutic possibilities.

Endogenous lithium may have a physiological role that affects brain aging and vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease, postmortem human samples and mouse experiments suggested.

Of 27 abundant and trace metals in the blood and brains in older adults with either normal cognition or cognitive decline, only lithium showed significantly reduced levels in the prefrontal cortex of people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease, according to Br