Lithium is a very interesting substance for brain health, healthy brain aging, and to treat and prevent various neurodegenerative diseases.
Lithium is a mineral found in rocks. From rocks it seeps into lakes and rivers, eventually ending up in drinking water.
Lithium and longevity
There are regions in the world where the drinking water is higher in lithium. Interestingly, scientists discovered that in these regions there is less mortality, less Alzheimer’s disease, less suicide, and even less crime (R,R,R,R,R,R,R).
This hinted to researchers that lithium, at low doses, could slow down aging, improve brain health and stabilize or improve mood, explaining why in regions with higher amounts of lithium in the drinking water there seems to be less suicide and crime.
Lithium has been shown to indeed extend lifespan and slow aging in various species (R,R,R,R,R,R).
In humans, lithium intake has been associated with reduced mortality (R,R,R), reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s (R,R,R) and reduced suicide (R,R).
Often,this lithium is taken in very low amounts. This is called “microdosed lithium”. Microdosed lithium is in the range of 0.3 to 5 mg of pure lithium per day.
This in contrast to “normal” doses of lithium given in psychiatric settings (as a drug), which are hundreds of times higher compared to the micro-dosed lithium.
Lithium and brain health and aging
Lithium could reduce the risk, and slow down, neurodegenerative disease. For example, a study found that people who were exposed to lithium had significantly less risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other kinds of dementia (R).
Interestingly, “micro-dosed lithium” can slow down brain aging and reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.
For example, clinical trials in humans in which participants took microdosed lithium showed improvements in Alzheimer’s diseases and mild-cognitive impairment (R,R,R), ideally when the trials last long enough (6 months or longer).
Lithium and Parkinson’s disease
Lithium treatment has been associated with neuroprotection against various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) (R).
Lithium reduced neuronal cell death in a mouse Parkinson’s model (R), and improved motor outcomes in another study (R).
A clinical trial showed that low doses of lithium (compared to much higher doses given in a drug setting) improved disease progression in Parkinson’s patients as shown on MRI (a brain scanner) (R).
Lithium can improve brain health, and be helpful in people with Parkinson’s disease due to its various neuroprotective effects.
For example, lithium has epigenetic effects, enabling the upregulation of genes that produce healthy proteins, like brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (R,R). Lithium can also increase the production of Nurr1 (by 180% in some cell lines). Nurr1 is an important protein (transcription factor) involved in maintaining the health of dopaminergic neurons (R).
Lithium also induces autophagy (R,R) which is the breakdown of proteins and other materials that would otherwise accumulate in the cells, an important process contributing to brain aging.
Lithium also reduces oxidative stress, inflammation (R), and can induce neurogenesis (R,R).
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