Low doses of lithium may slow down memory loss

The two-year trial involved volunteers aged 60 and older. Some of them received low doses of lithium, while the rest received placebo. The results showed that in the group taking the drug, the rate of decline in verbal memory — the ability to memorize and reproduce words and sentences — was noticeably lower.

The most pronounced protective effect of lithium was observed in patients whose blood was found to contain beta-amyloid— one of the main biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease. The data indicate that the drug affects specific biological mechanisms of degeneration. Scientists emphasize that lithium does not restore lost memory, but only slows down the process of its destruction. This is a critical distinction for understanding the goals of future therapy.

The study confirmed that low doses of the drug, with careful monitoring, are safe and well tolerated by the elderly, which removes the main concerns about the side effects of classical lithium treatment. Although the volume of the hippocampus (the memory center in the brain) decreased in both groups, participants with amyloid showed signs of a slower decrease in this area while taking lithium.

The main limitation of the work was that at the time of the start of the experiment, almost 10 years ago, there were no available blood tests for amyloid, so the groups were formed only on the basis of clinical symptoms. Now scientists are planning to launch a larger trial, where participants will be selected using modern high-precision analyses. If the data is confirmed, it will give doctors an accessible and time-tested tool to combat the early stages of neurodegeneration.