Latest news with #BruceYankner
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Health
- Extra.ie
Possible cure for alzheimers
A team of researchers iin the United States has identified a deficiency they believe could be the root cause of Alzheimers disease. The team at Harvard Medical School believe they may have found a drug that can prevent and even reverse the crippling effects of the disease. Their findings are based on 10 years of research, which includes tests on lab mice and also analysis of human brain tissue and blood samples. Pic: Solskin/Getty Images A new report published in the New York Post, shows researchers found that a loss of 'lithium', a mineral which occurs naturally in the brain, is one of the earliest indicators of the onset of Alzheimer's, and adding lithium protects it from deteriorating. Bruce Yankner, professor of genetics and neurology in the Blavatnik Institute in Harvard says 'The idea that lithium deficiency could be a cause of Alzheimer's disease is new and suggests a different therapeutic approach,' In the experiments, mice were treated with lithium orotate. Researchers found that the treatment prevented brain cell damage, and restored memory, even in older mice with an advanced form of alzheimers. Elderly couple – Pic: Katarzyna Grabowska/Unsplash Professor Yankner said 'What impresses me the most about lithium is the widespread effect it has on the various manifestations of Alzheimer's. I really have not seen anything quite like it in all my years of working on this disease'. These promising results may potentially provide a new standard for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, and another finding to come out of the study was that maintaining stable levels of lithium in early life, can prevent the onset of Alzheimers altogether. Boston, MA – August 4: Liviu Aron, an author of a recent medical paper detailing findings about lithium's connection to Alzheimer's disease, examines preparations of human brain samples for analysis in the Harvard research lab on August 4, 2025. (Photo by Heather Diehl/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) The findings also support previous population studies that revealed that higher lithium levels in the environment, particularly in drinking water, correlated with lower rates of dementia in those areas. Alzheimer's has baffled the medical community for decades as the disease and its causes are far from uniform across the board, with many people with amyloid protein buildup showing no signs of cognitive decline, and others developing the disease. Boston, MA – August 4: Dr. Bruce Yankner poses for a portrait in his office next to a photograph of a brain with Alzheimers on August 4, 2025. (Photo by Heather Diehl/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Though genetic and environmental factors play a role, scientists are unsure why the disease develops in some with these factors and not others. Now doctors believe they may have found the critical missing link and a possible cure for Alzheimers. In conclusion, Professor Yankner expressed his hopes that litium will do something 'more fundamental than anti-amyloid or anti-tau therapies, not just lessening but reversing cognitive decline and improving patients' lives.'
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Health
- Washington Post
How lithium went from 7Up to treatment for mental illness — and maybe Alzheimer's
A study this week in the journal Nature found that the loss of lithium, a naturally occurring element in the brain, could be an early sign of Alzheimer's and a powerful driver of the disease, which afflicts more than 7 million Americans. The study, led by Bruce A. Yankner, a professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard Medical School, found that lithium is important to the health of all the major types of brain cells in mice. Depletion of lithium in the brain also seems to be a factor in almost all of the major deterioration that occurs with Alzheimer's disease. While the latest study of lithium is novel in pointing toward a potential Alzheimer's treatment, the use of lithium to treat other conditions is not. Here's a look at what it has worked for and how its use is being researched in new ways. Lithium, soft and silvery, is nature's lightest metal, enabling it to store energy at high density and discharge electrons rapidly. 'This is the basis of the lithium battery that powers our phones, laptops and electric vehicles,' Yankner said. Less well known is that the original formulation of the soft drink 7Up contained lithium; the drink was marketed under the name Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. The lithium was removed in 1948 after the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of lithium citrate in soft drinks. As of 2024, Australia was the world's largest producer of lithium, though Bolivia, Chile and Argentina are known as the 'lithium triangle.' A form of lithium, lithium carbonate, has been widely prescribed in the treatment of bipolar disease in the United States since it was first approved by the FDA in 1970. It is believed to be a mood stabilizer and can also be prescribed for long-term treatment of depression. While the precise mechanism of lithium carbonate isn't known, it is believed to suppress stress in the brain and help restore neuroplasticity — the brain's ability to change and adapt as we get older. One of the findings of the Nature study was that our brains contain a small amount of naturally occurring lithium. There are cases of lithium being used in psychiatry going back to the mid-19th century, but the study of lithium for mood disorders took a larger step in the late 1940s when an Australian psychiatrist, John Cade, found that it helped many bipolar patients stabilize quickly. 'It's been around for decades, and we have a lot of research and a lot of evidence supporting its use,' said Elizabeth Hoge, a professor of psychiatry at Georgetown University School of Medicine. 'The most important thing is that it does help patients. We know that it works from randomized, controlled trials.' Hoge said the use of lithium does require monitoring of renal and thyroid function, which can decline in some cases. Balwinder Singh, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Mayo Clinic, said lithium remains the 'gold standard' medication for bipolar disorder, though it is under-prescribed in his view. About 10 to 15 percent of Americans with bipolar disorder take lithium, compared with about 35 percent of patients in Europe. 'Lithium is the only mood stabilizer consistently shown to reduce suicidality in individuals with bipolar disorder,' according to a recent comment Singh wrote in the journal Lancet Psychiatry. Although lithium has been widely prescribed and its use is supported in many studies, a 2022 paper argued that its effect on bipolar depression, a part of bipolar disorder, does not represent a statistically significant improvement over a placebo or antidepressants. Lithium had been investigated previously as a potential Alzheimer's treatment and antiaging medication. A 2017 study in Denmark found that the presence of lithium in drinking water might be linked to a lower incidence of dementia in the population. Yankner's lab became interested in lithium after measuring the levels of 30 different metals in the brain and blood of people who were cognitively healthy, people in a very early stage of dementia and people with full-blown Alzheimer's disease. Of the 30 metals, only lithium changed significantly among the three groups. Lithium maintains the connections and communication lines that allow neurons in a healthy brain to talk with one another. 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. All this adds up to promoting good memory function both in mice and in humans, researchers said. Yankner's lab found that small amounts of the compound lithium orotate were able to reverse a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease and restore brain function. Researchers said the discovery should be enough to spur clinical trials for testing the compound in people. But Yankner said he could not recommend at this point that people start taking lithium because its use for Alzheimer's has not been validated in people, and 'things can change as you go from mice to humans.' Lithium can also be toxic if not regulated properly. And because this research is nascent, it's unlikely that a treatment will be available anytime soon.
UPI
2 days ago
- Health
- UPI
Researchers: Small traces of lithium may help prevent Alzheimer's
A Harvard Medical School and Rush University study suggests tiny amounts of lithium may help protect the brain from Alzheimer's and signs of aging. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News Tiny amounts of lithium -- a natural metal -- may help protect the brain from Alzheimer's and signs of aging, new research shows. Scientists at Harvard Medical School and Rush University found that when mice were fed a low-lithium diet, their brains developed more inflammation and signs of aging accelerated. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Turns out, lithium may play a critical role in how the brain stays healthy, the researchers found. In the study, they compared normal mice to mice bred to develop brain changes linked to Alzheimer's, including a build-up of sticky proteins. Mice on low-lithium diets developed problems more quickly, while those given a specific lithium compound called lithium orotate saw signs of brain improvement. When given lithium orotate, mice had fewer memory problems and fewer of the sticky clumps known as beta amyloid plaques. In people, those plaques are hallmarks of Alzheimer's. Many people know lithium as a drug used to treat bipolar disorder and depression. It's been used for decades. But this study suggests that very small amounts of lithium are naturally present in the body, and it may be essential for brain health. Researchers suspect that beta amyloid binds to lithium and prevents it from reaching brain cells that need it. Without enough lithium, cells called microglia, which help clean up waste in the brain, stop working properly. This creates a sort of cycle: As beta amyloid builds up, even less lithium is available and the brain has a harder time clearing the damaging proteins. In the first stage of the study, scientists tested brain tissue and blood samples from people with and without Alzheimer's. They looked at 27 metals and found a key difference: Lithium levels were much lower in the brains of people with memory problems. They repeated this test using brain samples from multiple hospitals and universities and found the same results. "At first, frankly, we were skeptical of the result because it wasn't expected," Dr. Bruce Yankner, a professor of genetics at Harvard, told CNN. Experts warn that people should not take lithium supplements without medical advice. The doses used in this study were about 1,000 times lower than the doses used to treat mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder. "A mouse is not a human. Nobody should take anything based just on mouse studies," Yankner said. "The lithium treatment data we have is in mice, and it needs to be replicated in humans. We need to find the right dose in humans," he added. Still, the findings are promising. Mice who received low doses of lithium orotate did not show any signs of toxicity or organ damage. Yankner hopes human trials will start soon. Many healthy foods contain small amounts of lithium. These include: Leafy green vegetables Nuts and legumes Certain spices like turmeric and cumin Some mineral waters Previous studies have hinted at lithium's benefits. One large Danish study found people with higher lithium levels in their tap water were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia. Another study in the U.K. found people prescribed lithium were about half as likely to get Alzheimer's as those who were not. Ashley Bush, a neuroscientist in Australia, wrote an editorial that accompanied the new research. He said it presents "compelling evidence that lithium does in fact have a physiological role and that normal aging might impair the regulation of lithium levels in the brain." Yankner pointed to the possible benefit. "It is a potential candidate for a common mechanism leading to the multisystem degeneration of the brain that precedes dementia," he told CNN. "It will take a lot more science to determine whether this is a common pathway... or one of several pathways," to Alzheimer's, he added. "The data are very intriguing." More information The Mayo Clinic has more on lithium. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Alzheimer's disease could be prevented by old-school medicine, scientists say
A metal that has long been used in medication as a mood stabilizer may help ward off Alzheimer's disease, a study has found. Researchers at Harvard and Rush Universities have discovered that declining levels of lithium in the body can cause changes in the brain associated with the neurological disorder. In this animal study, scientists found that maintaining normal lithium levels in mice as they aged protected them from brain degradation and memory loss. Alzheimer's disease is one of the most common forms of dementia and mostly affects adults over the age of 65. About 7million people in the US 65 and older live with the condition and over 100,00 die from it annually. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that by 2050, nearly 13 million Americans will be living with the disease. Senior study author Bruce Yankner, a professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard Medical School, says the findings could point towards a possible remedy for Alzheimer's. As of now, there is no cure for Alzheimer's disease and treatment plans include taking medications that target specific symptoms of the disease such as cognitive decline, memory loss and behavioral changes. However, while lithium-based medications have long been used to treat mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, the researchers theorized that a version of the metal known as lithium orotate could help reverse Alzheimer's disease-related damage, prevent brain cell damage and restore memory. In the study, the researchers collected postmortem brain tissue donated by thousands of deceased people in Chicago. Then, they analyzed about 30 different metals in the brain and blood of cognitively healthy people, those in an early stage of dementia called mild cognitive impairment, and those with advanced Alzheimer's. During this analysis, they found that lithium was the only metal that differed significantly between people with and without mild cognitive impairment, which is often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. All other essential metals, such as magnesium and zinc, were found to be at the same levels across samples. After this discovery, the researchers studied mice that had been specially bred to develop the same brain changes as humans with Alzheimer's disease. The animals were fed a lithium-restricted diet that lacked potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, carrots, bananas, apples, oranges, grapes, dairy, nuts and seeds, all of which are lithium-rich foods. The researchers found that feeding healthy mice a lithium-restricted diet brought their brain lithium levels down to a level similar to that in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is believed to be caused by the development of toxic amyloid and beta proteins in the brain, which can accumulate in the brain and damage cells responsible for memory. Amyloid protein molecules stick together in brain cells, forming clumps called plaques. At the same time, tau proteins twist together in fiber-like strands called tangles. The plaques and tangles block the brain's neurons from sending electrical and chemical signals back and forth. Over time, this disruption causes permanent damage in the brain that leads to Alzheimer's disease and dementia, causing patients to lose their ability to speak, care for themselves or even respond to the world around them. While there is no clear cause of Alzheimer's disease, experts believe it can develop due to genetic mutations and lifestyle choices, such as physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and social isolation. From this study, the scientists found that low lithium levels accelerated the brain aging process and increased inflammation in the mice's brains, leading to loss of connections between neurons and cognitive decline. Over time, the researchers noticed that there was a buildup of Alzheimer's-related plaques and tangles in their brains and the mice had begun to show signs of memory loss. They concluded that as the amyloid beta protein begins to form deposits in the early stages of dementia in both humans and mice, it binds to lithium deposits and reduces brain function. The lower lithium levels affect all major brain cell types and, in mice, give rise to changes associated with Alzheimer's disease, including memory loss. Lithium serum levels in human brains normally range from approximately 0.6 to 1.2 milliequivalents per litre (mEq/L). The metal is found in trace amounts throughout the body, particularly in the brain, kidneys and bones. Lithium plays an important role in the body by helping maintain cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, metabolic and cognitive function. It also keeps the body free from inflammation and supports the body's antioxidant process, protecting brain cells and neurons from damage. Experts recommend eating cereals, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, nutmeg, coriander seeds, cumin, almonds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, cashews, wheat, rice and oats. They also suggest drinking mineral water and teas such as black, green and red to maintain the required lithium levels in the body. Although the findings need to be confirmed in humans through clinical trials, the researchers suggested that measuring lithium levels could help screen for early signs of the disease.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
This drug could prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's: ‘I've not seen anything quite like it,' says doc
A team of researchers at Harvard Medical School has identified a deficiency they believe could be the root cause of Alzheimer's. Better yet, they believe a drug could prevent and reverse the crippling disease. Published in Nature, the findings are based on 10 years of research that includes lab mice and analysis of human brain tissue and blood samples. Alzheimer's disease — which affects an estimated 7 million Americans — is notoriously difficult to detect, especially in its initial stages. Proxima Studio – Researchers found that a loss of lithium, a mineral which occurs naturally in the brain, is one of the earliest indicators of the onset of Alzheimer's — and adding lithium protects it from deteriorating. 'The idea that lithium deficiency could be a cause of Alzheimer's disease is new and suggests a different therapeutic approach,' said senior author Bruce Yankner, professor of genetics and neurology in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS. In their experiments, mice were treated with lithium orotate. They found that it prevented brain cell damage and restored memory, even in older mice with advanced disease. 'What impresses me the most about lithium is the widespread effect it has on the various manifestations of Alzheimer's. I really have not seen anything quite like it all my years of working on this disease,' said Yankner. Notably, scientists also found that maintaining stable lithium levels in early life prevented the onset of Alzheimer's. These promising results may potentially provide a new standard for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. The findings also support previous population studies that revealed that higher lithium levels in the environment, particularly in drinking water, correlated with lower rates of dementia. Alzheimer's has long baffled experts as the expression of the disease and its causes are far from uniform. onimate – Alzheimer's has long baffled experts as the expression of the disease and its causes are far from uniform. Many people with amyloid protein buildup show no signs of decline, and treatments that target it have thus far proven ineffective at reversing memory loss and, at best, only slightly reduce the rate of decline. Though genetic and environmental factors play a role, scientists are unsure why the disease develops in some with these factors and not others. The study authors believe lithium may be the critical missing link. 'My hope is that lithium will do something more fundamental than anti-amyloid or anti-tau therapies, not just lessening but reversing cognitive decline and improving patients' lives,' said Yankner. Yankner and his team stressed that their findings need to be confirmed through clinical trials in humans, but remain hopeful that measuring lithium levels could help screen for and treat Alzheimer's 'You have to be careful about extrapolating from mouse models, and you never know until you try it in a controlled human clinical trial,' Yankner said. 'But so far the results are very encouraging.'
