Brutkey

Nonya "Fucking Bitch" Bidniss
@Nonya_Bidniss@infosec.exchange

Neuroscientists analyzed the brain tissue of people with Alzheimer’s disease and found that the sticky plaques of amyloid protein that are a hallmark of the disease had high concentrations of lithium, while it was depleted in the rest of the brain. The researchers hypothesized that lithium naturally exists in our bodies as part of a carefully calibrated ecosystem of metal ions. In Alzheimer’s disease, amyloid plaques sequester this freely available lithium, preventing it from being used in various neural processes. This process could lead to downstream symptoms of Alzheimer’s, like memory loss and cognitive decline.

Researchers then identified a compound called lithium orotate that can bolster natural levels of lithium without getting trapped by amyloid plaques. In studies of adult mice engineered to have Alzheimer’s-like symptoms, adding a low dose of lithium orotate to their drinking water prevented the development of plaques and completely reversed memory loss in mice. “It seems to somehow turn back the clock,” the paper’s senior author, Bruce Yankner, told The Boston Globe.

Scientists hope that this paper will breathe new life into the search for a cure for Alzheimer’s disease and open up new questions about the role of lithium in the brain. “[Lithium] powers our phones, laptops, and electric vehicles,” Yankner tells Science. “My guess is the brain might have utilized this unique electrochemistry before we did.” #alzheimers #lithium #neuroscience #medicine
Paywall https://www.science.org/content/article/could-lithium-stave-alzheimer-s-disease
Paywall https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/08/06/metro/alzheimers-treatment-harvard-lithium-deficiency-plaques/
Paywall https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-02471-4
No paywall https://archive.is/LB5Ps