Lithium: A New Hope for Alzheimer’s.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, over 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s. It is predicted that by 2050, this number will rise to almost 13 million individuals. However, a new study in mice suggests that lithium may play a crucial role in maintaining brain health, possibly reversing the progression of Alzheimer’s.

Through several experiments reported by Nature, researchers at Harvard and Rush discovered that reducing lithium in the diets of mice caused inflammation of the brain associated with faster aging. Scientists bred mice to develop the same changes in the brain as humans with Alzheimer’s. When feeding them a low-lithium diet, they discovered a buildup of sticky proteins, which form tangles and plaques in the brain. This diet sped up memory loss. When feeding the mice a diet of normal lithium levels as they aged, their brains were protected from the Alzheimer’s-related inflammation and changes. 

Genetic investigations found that beta amyloid plaques appear to be the guilty culprit of this brain change. These sticky proteins that cover the brains of Alzheimer’s patients bind to lithium and hold it. The binding depletes the available lithium for nearby cells and microglia, the waste managers that clear away beta amyloid before it causes damage. 

Researchers found that lithium orotate does not bind to amyloid beta, therefore reversing the changes in the brains of the mice. The mice treated were able to identify new objects and navigate mazes as they had previously done before their brain alterations. The mice without a sufficient lithium diet showed no change in memories, along with thinking deficits. 

Genetics professor Dr. Bruce Yankner disclosed this theory as a “potential candidate for a common mechanism leading to the multisystem degeneration of the brain that precedes dementia.” 

While this discovery could potentially lead to a breakthrough in the curing of Alzheimer’s, a generous amount of research will be needed to determine whether it could become a new method of treatment.