Can We Use Lithium as a Treatment for Alzheimer’s?
Written by Thin Han
Edited by Tanishq Vaidya
May 2, 2021
Edited by Tanishq Vaidya
May 2, 2021
Rivaling the death rates of cancer and heart disease, Alzheimer’s is an incurable disease that continues to ruin patients’s lives. Particularly, Alzheimer’s is one of the many diseases in the dementia family, and affects patients by destroying long-term memories and weakening their immune systems thus making them more vulnerable to other diseases. However, there is hope on the horizon for treatment in the form of a simple salt. Lithium salt has been used as a treatment for mental health problems, specifically bipolar disorder, since the 2nd century AD (Schioldann, 2009). However, more recently, there is evidence that long-term exposure to it can reduce the symptoms of dementia, specifically Alzheimer’s disease. Lithium works as a treatment against this disease by stopping the overactivation of a protein kinase known as GSK3. As a result of the regulation, overproduction of amyloid beta proteins and plaques, which is a telltale sign of Alzheimer’s, no longer occurs in the brain (Jeyasingam, 2020). However, there are still many questions around the effectiveness of lithium in either treating or preventing Alzheimer’s disease and regarding its correct dosage amount.
While lithium has been successful in treating rats with early or pre stage-Alzheimer’s disease, the same cannot be said for human subjects (Schioldann, 2009). One of the confounding variables that might be contributing to its failure in humans is the fact that lithium was administered to rats before their diagnosis of dementia was confirmed whereas the humans in the trials had already been diagnosed with dementia before starting the treatment (Jeyasingam, 2020). Nevertheless, for both rats and humans, lithium cannot restore normal brain functions once it has been degraded. In addition, there are negative side-effects of lithium treatments, one of which is kidney failures in elderly people (Schioldann, 2009). Thus, determining proper dosage for treatment is of utmost importance in order to negate these side-effects (Jeyasingam, 2020). However, despite the challenges, there has been research involving a new and improved version of lithium called NP03 that has shown effectiveness in treating Alzheimer’s without causing kidney failures. Regardless, there are still several trials to be done before it can be put on the market (Jeyasingam, 2020). Overall, there are still many questions around lithium’s effectiveness in treating Alzheimer’s, but scientists are working tirelessly to find these answers.
Works Cited
Jeyasingam, N. (2020). Lithium to Treat - Or Prevent - Dementia: A Short Discussion. Journal
of Neurology and Experimental Neuroscience, 6(1), 13-15,
https://jneuroscience.com/jnen/articles/v6n1/jnen-066-neil-jeyasingam.pdf
Schioldann, J. (2009). History of the Introduction of Lithium into Medicine and Psychiatry: Birth
of Modern Psychopharmacology. Adelaide: Academic Press.
Image Source: “3D Medical Background with a Male Figure with Brain and Virus Cells Free Photo” by kjpargeter licensed under Freepik License