Lithium May Slow Brain Decline in Seniors

A pilot clinical trial indicates that low-dose lithium may offer cognitive benefits for seniors, potentially slowing verbal decline associated with mild cognitive impairment. Researchers observed that seniors who took lithium for two years exhibited improved word recall and sentence retention compared to a placebo group. While not restoring lost memory, the drug appears to slow the rate of cognitive deterioration.

The study involved 80 seniors aged 72, who were randomly assigned to receive either low-dose lithium or a placebo over two years. Cognitive tests and brain scans were utilized to assess lithium's effects. Previous research hinted at lithium deficiency potentially contributing to brain degeneration seen in Alzheimer's disease.

Further analysis showed that individuals taking lithium experienced a slower decline in verbal memory, a symptom often seen early in Alzheimer's. Although brain imaging revealed hippocampal shrinkage in both groups, the lithium group showed a potentially larger protective effect, especially in participants with higher levels of amyloid beta, a protein linked to Alzheimer's.

Researchers noted that the trial's design, initiated in 2018 before widespread amyloid beta blood testing, might have diluted the results. Future studies will enroll participants based on amyloid status from the outset. The pilot trial also confirmed the safety of low-dose lithium use in seniors, paving the way for larger, more definitive clinical trials.