Lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer's disease

Aron L, Ngian ZK, Qiu C, Choi J, Liang M, Drake DM, Hamplova SE, Lacey EK, Roche P, Yuan M, Hazaveh SS, Lee EA, Bennett DA, Yankner BA

1. 01

   Brain lithium is depleted early in human MCI/Alzheimer's tissue, preceding overt pathology

2. 02

   Amyloid-beta plaques sequester lithium, depleting it from surrounding neurons and glia

3. 03

   Dietary lithium restriction induced AD-like transcriptional and pathological changes in mice

4. 04

   Lithium orotate, uniquely among 16 salts tested, avoided plaque sequestration and reversed pathology in mice

Study Design

Preclinical Study

Sample Size

Not reported

Study Duration

Not reported

Methodology

Not reported

Limitations

Core causal and reversal findings are in mice and human autopsy tissue, not living human clinical trial participants. No completed human RCT of lithium orotate exists as of this review.