Alzheimer's Disease: Scientists find potential remedy to the progressive brain disorder (in a common chemical element)

Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people around the world, slowly damaging memory, thinking, and behavior. For decades, scientists have searched for a way to stop or even slow down this heartbreaking condition. Now, a promising discovery has brought new hope, and it comes from an unexpected source: a common chemical element.

Read on to know more about the groundbreaking discovery.


What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. In its later stages, it can make simple daily tasks, like eating or recognizing loved ones, nearly impossible.

It is the most common type of dementia, a general term for memory loss and cognitive decline. According to the World Health Organization, more than 55 million people worldwide live with dementia, and Alzheimer’s accounts for 60-70% of those cases.

The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is not fully understood, but it’s linked to the build-up of toxic proteins in the brain, including amyloid plaques and tau tangles, which interfere with normal brain function.


Lithium: The missing link

In a discovery that’s been nearly 10 years in the making, researchers at Harvard Medical School have uncovered a surprising new role for lithium, a metal best known for treating bipolar disorder. This new research shows that lithium is not only naturally present in the body in tiny amounts, but it also plays a key role in keeping our brains healthy as we age.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that even a small drop in natural lithium levels in the brain can lead to changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease and brain aging. While more research is needed, scientists are hopeful that this could lead to new ways to prevent or slow down the disease.

Now, lithium has been used as a mood stabilizer for over a century and was officially approved by the FDA in 1970. But this new study shows that even tiny, natural levels of lithium in the body, similar to vitamins and minerals, are important for normal cell function.

“It is a potential candidate for a common mechanism leading to the multisystem degeneration of the brain that precedes dementia,” said Dr. Bruce Yankner, senior author of the study, as reported by CNN. “It will take a lot more science to determine whether this is a common pathway… or one of several pathways,” he added. “The data are very intriguing.”



What did the study find?

Researchers at Harvard and Rush University fed mice a diet with reduced lithium. They discovered that:

Healthy mice developed brain inflammation and signs of accelerated aging.

Mice bred to develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms showed faster buildup of harmful brain plaques and more memory loss.

Keeping normal lithium levels helped protect the mice’s brains.

The team also tested a special form of lithium called lithium orotate, which doesn’t bind to harmful proteins in the brain. Mice treated with lithium orotate saw a reduction in brain plaques and memory issues, even reversing some Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. These mice were able to complete memory tasks that untreated mice could not.


Can lithium help the brain?

A key finding from the study was that beta amyloid plaques, the sticky clumps seen in Alzheimer’s patients, bind to lithium in the brain, including the lithium naturally present in our bodies. This binding traps the lithium, making it unavailable to nearby brain cells, especially microglia, which are cells that clean up waste in the brain.

Without enough lithium, microglia couldn’t clear out the beta amyloid, allowing the plaques to build up and cause more damage.

Yankner described this as a “downward spiral;” the more plaques there are, the more lithium they absorb, and the harder it is for the brain to fight back.


Where do we get natural lithium?

Lithium exists naturally in water, soil, and food. The study found that people with Alzheimer’s had lower levels of lithium in their brain tissue, while those with normal memory function had higher levels.


Foods high in natural lithium include:

Leafy greens

Nuts

Legumes

Spices like turmeric and cumin

Some mineral waters

This may help explain why diets rich in these foods, like the Mediterranean diet, are often linked to lower dementia risk.


More supporting evidence

This isn’t the first time lithium has been linked to brain health:

A 2017 study in Denmark found that people who drank lithium-rich tap water were less likely to develop dementia.

A 2022 study in the UK found that people prescribed lithium had half the risk of Alzheimer’s compared to those who weren’t.

Until now, lithium has been mostly seen as a drug. But this new research suggests it may also be a natural nutrient essential to normal brain function, one that we’re only just beginning to understand.


What’s next?

Researchers are now studying why lithium levels drop in the brain as people age. It may involve:

Reduced intake from diet

Genetic factors

Changes in how the brain absorbs lithium

The findings were made possible by new technology that allowed scientists to measure extremely small amounts of lithium, something that wasn’t possible before.

“This is one of those moments in science where something unexpected opens the door to an entirely new understanding,” said Yankner. “We still have much to learn, but we now know lithium plays a bigger role in brain health than we ever imagined.”



Word of caution

Even though the results are exciting, researchers warn against self-treatment. Prescription lithium doses are much higher than what’s naturally found in the body and can cause kidney or thyroid damage if taken without medical supervision.

“The lithium treatment data we have is in mice, and it needs to be replicated in humans,” Yankner explained. “A mouse is not a human. Nobody should take anything based just on mouse studies.”

Still, early signs are promising. The low-dose lithium used in the study showed no signs of toxicity in mice. Yankner hopes human safety trials will begin soon.



Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The research discussed involves early-stage findings primarily based on animal studies. Lithium supplements or treatments should not be taken without medical supervision, as incorrect usage can pose serious health risks. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your medication or dietary routine.

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