🧠 Lithium Deficiency and the Onset of Alzheimer’s Disease

Lithium Deficiency: A Hidden Trigger for Alzheimer’s? 🧃🧩

Low brain lithium levels may set the stage for Alzheimer’s, and a special form of lithium could help prevent it.

Published In: Nature
Date: August 2025
Authors: Aron et al.
Link to Study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09335-x

Summary

Researchers found that lithium, a naturally occurring mineral in the brain, is significantly reduced in people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This drop appears to be caused partly by lithium getting trapped in amyloid plaques, reducing its availability for brain function. In mice, lowering dietary lithium worsened amyloid buildup, tau tangles, inflammation, and memory loss. Importantly, treatment with lithium orotate, a form of lithium less likely to bind to amyloid, prevented or reversed these brain changes and improved memory, without signs of toxicity.

Key Takeaways

✅ Lithium levels in the brain are lower in both early and advanced Alzheimer’s.
✅ Lithium deficiency worsens hallmark Alzheimer’s pathologies (amyloid plaques, tau tangles, inflammation).
✅ Lithium orotate bypasses amyloid binding, restoring healthy brain lithium levels.
✅ In mice, lithium orotate protected against memory decline and brain cell damage.
✅ Low-dose lithium orotate showed no detectable kidney or thyroid toxicity in long-term studies.

Why It Matters for You

Maintaining healthy brain lithium levels, potentially through diet or safe supplementation, may help protect against Alzheimer’s-related memory loss. While human trials are still needed, these findings suggest a new avenue for prevention and treatment that targets early changes before symptoms appear.

Citation

Aron, L., Ngian, Z.K., Qiu, C., Choi, J., Liang, M., Drake, D.M., Hamplova, S.E., Lacey, E.K., Roche, P., Yuan, M., Hazaveh, S.S., Lee, E.A., Bennett, D.A., & Yankner, B.A. (2025). Lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09335-x