Scientists Say This “Dirt Cheap” Treatment Could Reverse Alzheimer’s Disease

Studies have offered plenty of science-backed ways to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, from following the MIND diet to taking weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. But there is practically nothing we can do to reverse the disorder once it’s already begun affecting the brain.

That’s why new research from scientists at Harvard Medical School (HMS) is so groundbreaking and exciting. In a study published this week in the journal Nature, they share that taking lithium could be an accessible and quick way to restore brain function in those suffering from Alzheimer’s.

RELATED: Scientists Find “Critical” New Brain Scan That Can Spot Alzheimer’s Early.

What is lithium?

Lithium is a metal, the lightest on the periodic table. “Found in extremely low concentrations in rocks and seawater, lithium enters the human body through foods such as cereals, cabbage, and tomatoes, or through drinking water that naturally flows through lithium-rich rocks,” shares Science.

Very small amounts of lithium are found in the human brain. “Lithium maintains the connections and communication lines that allow neurons to talk with one another,” explains The Washington Post. “The metal also helps form the myelin that coats and insulates the communication lines and helps microglial cells clear cellular debris that can impede brain function.”

Lithium is most commonly known as a medication to treat bipolar disorder. “It works by balancing substances in your brain that help regulate mood, behaviors, and thoughts,” states Cleveland Clinic. In this form, it is made from the molecule lithium carbonate.

However, The Washington Post points out that the amount of naturally occurring lithium in the brain is “1,000 times less than the lithium provided in medications to treat bipolar disorder.”

Anecdotal research published in 2017 in Denmark found a connection between exposure to higher lithium levels in drinking water and a lower incidence of dementia.

RELATED: FDA Approves First-Ever Alzheimer’s Blood Test—Here’s Who Will Benefit.

How lithium can reverse symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease:

The new study is the result of 10 years of research during which Harvard scientists analyzed the role lithium plays in normal brain function.

To arrive at their findings, the scientists conducted experiments in mice, as well as in brain tissue and blood samples from humans with varying cognitive health.

“Lithium turns out to be like other nutrients we get from the environment, such as iron and vitamin C,” said senior study author Bruce Yankner, an HMS professor of genetics and neurology. “It’s the first time anyone’s shown that lithium exists at a natural level that’s biologically meaningful without giving it as a drug.”

Yankner and his team found that in both mice and human brains, lithium loss is one of the earliest markers of Alzheimer’s disease. “The team further found that reduced lithium levels stemmed from binding to amyloid plaques and impaired uptake in the brain,” states a press release.

To break this down: In healthy brains, there are tens of billions of neurons, “which are specialized cells that process and transmit information via electrical and chemical signals,” explains the National Institute on Aging (NIA). “Alzheimer’s disease disrupts this communication, resulting in widespread loss of brain function as many neurons stop working properly and eventually die.”

One way this happens is when beta-amyloid proteins clump together between neurons and disrupt cell function. Not only did the researchers find that lithium binds to these amyloid plaques, thereby lowering lithium amounts in the brain and contributing to the plaque formations, but it also reduced the body’s ability to break the plaques down.

The Harvard scientists found that, when added to drinking water, the compound lithium orotate “avoids plaque binding and reverses Alzheimer’s and brain aging in mice, without toxicity,” notes the press release.

By contrast, most currently available Alzheimer’s treatments can target amyloid beta to slow down cognitive decline but not to reverse it.

RELATED: Doctors Warn This Common Medication May Be Linked to Dementia Risk.

What’s next for the treatment?

Matt Kaeberlein, former director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute at the University of Washington, who was not involved in the study, told The Washington Post that he believes this research could be a game-changer for the 7 million Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“The obvious impact is that because lithium orotate is dirt cheap, hopefully we will get rigorous, randomized trials testing this very, very quickly, he said. “And I would say that it will be an embarrassment to the Alzheimer’s clinical community if that doesn’t happen right away.”

As for next steps, the findings need to be validated by other labs before human trials can begin.

In the meantime, Yankner cautions, “I do not recommend that people take lithium at this point, because it has not been validated as a treatment in humans. We always have to be cautious because things can change as you go from mice to humans.”