Lithium, long prescribed for bipolar disorder and as an adjunct in depression, is essential for brain resilience, and new research suggests that deficiency of the mineral in neural tissue may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

For the first time, investigators found that lithium is sequestered by amyloid plaques in AD, depleting its availability in neural tissue. In addition, they found that a novel lithium-based compound engineered to bypass plaque binding reversed synaptic and cognitive deficits in mouse models and has the potential to restore memory

In addition, analyses of human brain tissue showed that loss of lithium was one of the earliest changes leading up to AD. In mice with lowered lithium levels, researchers found similar accelerated brain pathology and memory decline.

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