Lithium may shield aging brains from Alzheimer’s, study suggests

The researchers at Harvard Medical School have unlocked a major breakthrough in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

According to a recent study, lithium could be a potential element in solving the enigma surrounding brain aging.

The scientists from Harvard and Rush universities conducted a series of experiments on mice, revealing the importance of lithium salts in the diet.

According to the study's findings published in the journal Nature, the reduced amount of lithium in the diet of normal mice caused the inflammation in their brains and changes associated with accelerated aging.

The reduced amount of lithium salts in diet is responsible for building up sticky proteins that form plagues and tangles in the brain, precipitating the process of memory loss.

For the first time, researchers have established that lithium is naturally present in the human body in tiny amounts, maintaining brain health.

Given the groundbreaking discovery in mice, researchers believe that the finding could pave the way for treating and performing diagnostic tests for Alzheimer’s disease.

Matthew Schrag, assistant professor of neurology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center said: "Lithium has been on the radar for a long time as a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, but it has not yet gained full momentum.”

“The study seems to convincingly show that lithium levels in the brain and Alzheimer’s disease might be low, which is an interesting finding,” Schrag added.

Lithium is also used as a best known medicine as a mood stabilizer given to people grappling with bipolar disorder.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 6.7 million older people in the United States are reeling from the disease.