Harvard scientists have uncovered that lithium, a naturally occurring element in the brain, may be the missing piece in understanding Alzheimer’s. Their decade-long research shows that lithium depletion—caused by amyloid plaques binding to it—triggers early brain changes that lead to memory loss. By testing new lithium compounds that evade plaque capture, they reversed Alzheimer’s-like damage and restored memory in mice at doses far lower than those used in psychiatric treatments.
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At a glance:
- Study shows for the first time that lithium plays an essential role in normal brain function and can confer resistance to brain aging and Alzheimer's disease.
- Scientists discovered that lithium is depleted in the brain by binding to toxic amyloid plaques -- revealing a new way Alzheimer's may begin.
- A new class of lithium-based compounds avoids plaque binding and reverses Alzheimer's and brain aging in mice, without toxicity.
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