Researchers Demonstrate Lithium Benefits for Elderly People with Alzheimer’s

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – New findings from experiments on human brain cells and mice show that the drug slows down cell aging, one of the factors related to this and other neurodegenerative diseases.

Earlier works by the group had already demonstrated that, when administered in very small doses, the metal helps to preserve the memory of elderly people with Alzheimer’s. Lithium is also used as a mood stabilizer for patients with bipolar disorder and depression.

The study was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (“Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo”).

Researcher Tânia Viel, professor at the School of Arts, Sciences, and Humanities of the University of São Paulo (USP), tested the drug’s effect on human brain cells.

Part of the sample, as it suffered natural cell aging, was treated with lithium; the other received no treatment. “We observed that aging was greatly reduced in cultures that received lithium”, she pointed out.

In another test, scientists observed the metal’s effect on mice as they aged. “Animals treated with lithium from a very young age kept all their memory formation,” she explained.

These results confirm clinical studies previously carried out with a group of elderly patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Half of them received lithium microdoses of 1.5 milligrams per day.

For patients with bipolar disorder, for instance, the dosage is at least 60 milligrams. The remaining volunteers were given a placebo, that is, they had no access to the medicine, but they thought they were taking medication. The elderly were followed for a year and a half.

“From the third month on, the memory of patients treated with lithium stabilized. In the other group, their performance was declining. The treatment was maintained for a while longer, to be certain of the observed effect. From the moment we confirmed this discrepancy, we started to administer lithium to everyone,” said Tânia in an interview with FAPESP.

This study began after Dr. Marielza Nunes, a member of the group, observed an improvement in the memory of elderly people who took lithium microdoses as a food supplement. Some metals can also be prescribed to compensate for nutritional deficiencies.

Tânia points out that studies are progressing more and more in showing the effectiveness of lithium to prevent the aging of brain cells.

“But only doctors can actually medicate the elderly. Our job is to subsidize the medical profession so that one day they may recommend lithium to the elderly. We’re hoping it’s a way to stabilize [Alzheimer’s] disease or even reverse it, depending on the next steps,” she states.

Continuity

Testing continues with other cellular models and new tests on patients. Lithium will be tested according to the different possible explanations for Alzheimer’s, as the precise causes of the disease are not known.

Subsequently, groups of elderly with and without the disease will be monitored to observe the difference between them. The goal is to determine the protective agents of the brain in healthy elderly people.

Source: Agência Brasil