Lithium: a novel treatment for Alzheimer's disease?
Lithium is an alkali metal. First described as a mood stabilizer in 1949, it remains an efficacious treatment for bipolar disorders. Recent emerging evidence of its neuroprotective and neurogenic effects alludes to lithium's potential therapeutic use in stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. One intriguing clinical application is in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating lithium's abilities to lower tau and beta-amyloid levels in cerebrospinal fluid in Alzheimer's patients. This review summarizes the supporting evidence and safety profiles of lithium's use in the treatment of neurological diseases, especially Alzheimer's disease.
Zhong
Jin
J
Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, IU Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. jizhong@iupui.edu
Lee
Wei-Hua
WH
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000682:Amyloid / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D018020:Lithium Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016875:tau Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
D000682:Amyloid; D018020:Lithium Compounds; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D016875:tau Proteins