The Findings (From the study abstract):
Lithium (Li) is found naturally in the brain and “was significantly reduced in the brain in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to AD(Alzheimer’s disease).” When mice were fed a lithium-depleted Diet, brain Li content decreased by “approximately 50%” while the brain proteins (amyloid and tau) that are associated with Alzheimer’s increased, brain cells were damaged, and the mice experienced “accelerated cognitive decline.” They found that “replacement Therapy with lithium orotate . . . prevents pathological changes and memory loss” in their lithium-deficient mouse models.
The Washington Post – “How lithium went from 7Up to treatment for mental illness — and maybe Alzheimer’s” (9 Aug 2025)
The Week – “Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer’s study” (mid‑Aug 2025)
Science (AAAS) news – “Could lithium stave off Alzheimer’s disease?” (6 Aug 2025)
Nature News – “New hope for Alzheimer’s: lithium supplement reverses Alzheimer’s-like symptoms in mice” (6 Aug 2025)
Nature Briefing – “Daily briefing: Lithium supplements reverse Alzheimer’s symptoms in mice” (7 Aug 2025)
Harvard Gazette – “Could lithium explain — and treat — Alzheimer’s?” (6 Aug 2025)
ScienceDaily – “Lithium deficiency may be the hidden spark behind Alzheimer’s” (29 Aug 2025)
Psychiatric Times – “Lithium, Alzheimer Disease, and a Turning Point in Mental Health Care” (22 Aug 2025)
Parsemus Foundation – “Lithium may be a key to preventing Alzheimer’s disease” (20 Aug 2025)
Baptist Health – “Lithium Deficiency in the Brain may be a Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease” (15 Aug 2025)
Nurse.org – “Harvard’s Groundbreaking Lithium Treatment For Alzheimer’s: Key Insights for Nurses” (12 Aug 2025)
NONE of the titles of 19 stories about the Harvard research study that appeared soon after its publication mentioned that the mice that apparently benefitted from lithium were lithium deficient. Eleven of the 19 used words in their title like “maybe”, “promise”, “could”(4), “may”(4), and “hope”; all words from what I have referred to previously as “The Language of (exaggerated) Hope” as opposed to “The Semantics of Science”. Above all, the word “MAY” is a crucial example of language that can foster unfounded expectations. “May” is at the top of the list of words that authors or reporters of early studies turn to when attempting to elevate how we interpret their findings (see Figure). “May . . .” boosts information from a demonstrated association to implied causation!
Lithium (Li), a metal, is most commonly used for rechargeable batteries. In medicine it is has been approved and prescribed since 1970 for bipolar disorder and Depression.
Unfortunately, early news stories like these get amplified and misconstrued by the large and anxious body of affected patients, their families, and all of us worried older folks. The readily available news and information sources focused on the correct, but overly optimistic conclusion that lithium reversed Alzheimer’s changes in mice, skipping or burying the fact that these were lithium deficient mice. When a scientific study like the Nature article, demonstrates that there are benefits to giving lithium to mice fed a lithium deficient diet it is an important step in the study of Alzheimer’s disease, but such a finding is neither new, nor news. The simple concept of preventing a nutritional deficiency or reversing its effects by returning the missing element to the diet dates back centuries. Scurvy (Vitamin C deficiency common in sailors on long sea voyages without access to fresh fruit) comes to mind. It was first treated in the 1700’s with lemons, limes and oranges. From a scientific perspective the problem lies in doing the hard work over decades to determine if extra lithium (or anything else as a supplement), can prevent a specific disease without causing harm.
As has become painfully obvious from scary in-flight news stories and exploding cars buses and laptops, lithium is highly reactive and flammable. Medically, lithium is classified as a mood stabilizer and has been prescribed as such for over 50 years. Lithium is classed as a high-risk medicine because of its narrow therapeutic index (the difference between the blood concentration at which it is effective and the level where it becomes toxic). Like with many medications, its risks increase with the age of the patient. The recognized medical uses require careful dosing and often blood-level monitoring by licensed prescribers. “Lithium toxicity may occur in some patients despite a normal lithium level.”(3)
I became aware in the 1970’s when using lithium chloride to poison rats for my Masters and Doctoral theses. I was studying the mechanisms by which these incredibly hardy rodents learn to avoid dangerous foods.(4,5)
In this day and age, anyone can start selling lithium supplements, and I’m sure they will. Every over-the-counter supplement you buy is subject to the concerns in my prior post: Playing it Safe in the Supplement Aisle
“To date, six studies have investigated LIT [Lithium] supplementation in individuals with mild cognitive impairment(MCI) and AD [Alzheimer’s disease].. . . Our meta-analysis included the six studies (n =435)” . . and revealed that lithium (LIT) “supplementation did not significantly delay cognitive impairment progression in individuals with MCI and AD compared with placebo. Moreover, we revealed no superiority of LIT over placebo in all subgroups other than the high-risk subgroup for overall ROB[Risk of Bias]. We conclude that the pooled LIT treatment group, comprising LIT-C, LIT gluconate, and LIT sulfate, is not effective in attenuating cognitive decline in patients with AD when incorporating the most recent trials and applying a methodology capable of detecting even small between-group differences. These results, representing the highest clinical evidence level, provide complementary support to the preclinical observations of Aron and colleagues (Aron et al., 2025), which were derived from an animal model.”
“We searched . . . through April 2025 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing lithium with placebo or standard therapy in patients with AD dementia or amnestic mild cognitive impairment. . . . Six RCTs involving 394 participants (196 lithium, 198 placebo) met inclusion criteria. Lithium did not significantly improve global cognition. . . . Memory outcomes were mixed, with possible benefit for figure recall but not delayed verbal recall. No consistent benefits were observed for episodic memory, functional outcomes . . . neuropsychiatric symptoms, or CSF biomarkers. Conclusions: Lithium demonstrated an acceptable safety profile within the dosing regimens studied. However, current evidence does not support consistent cognitive or functional benefits in AD [Alzheimer’s disease] dementia. Larger, well-designed RCTs are warranted to clarify its potential therapeutic role.”
(1) Aron, L., Ngian, Z.K., Qiu, C. et al. Lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Nature 645, 712–721, 2025.
(2) Lithium & Alzheimer’s Disease: Popular-Press Coverage (Aug 1, 2025 – Present) (a search by ChatGPT, November 22, 2025 available at https://tinyurl.com/3dwkvwha
(3) Godden, H. Lithium monitoring and toxicity management. The Pharmaceutical Journal, 16 February 2024. https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/ld/lithium-monitoring-and-toxicity-management
(4) Frumkin K: Failure of sodium and calcium deficient rats to acquire taste aversions to the object of their specific hunger. J Comp Physiol Psychol 1975; 89:329-339.
(5) Frumkin K: Effects of deprivation schedule on the maintenance of a preoperatively acquired salt aversion by adrenalectomized rats. Physiol Psychol 1975; 3:101-106.
(6) Dementia prevention, intervention, and care: 2024 report of the Lancet standing Commission Livingston, Gill et al. The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10452, 572 – 628. (Free with registration at https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01296-0/abstract )
(7) Kishi T, Matsunaga S, Saito Y, Iwata N. Lithium for Alzheimer’s disease: Insights from a meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2025 Nov 6;180:106458.
(8) Pereira da Silva AM, de Deus O, Ribeiro FV, Tudella GCN, Cabeça LS, Silva LL, Han ML, Franco JO, Costa JGP, Santos do Nascimento MDV, Andrade Fernandes JV, Franco ES, de Sousa Maia MB. Efficacy and Safety of Lithium for Behavioral and Cognitive Symptoms in Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia: A Systematic Review With Frequentist and Bayesian Meta-Analysis. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2025 Oct 4:S1064-7481(25)00496-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41177743.
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Originally Published on https://agingoralzheimers.com/
