Alzheimer’s: a study reveals the curative potential of lithium

Alzheimer’s disease today affects around alzheimer’s: study reveals curative potential 1 million people in France and nearly 55 million worldwide, according to WHO. Furthermore, Each year. Consequently, 225,000 new cases are diagnosed in France, a figure which should double by 2050 with the aging of the population according to the Inserm and Public Health France.

Current treatments? Consequently, They remain very limited: some drugs can alleviate certain symptoms, but no curative treatment exists. Therefore, And despite billions invested by the pharmaceutical industry. more than 99 % of clinical trials in Alzheimer have failed for 20 years according to Inserm.

Lithium, this “old friend” of psychiatry – Alzheimer's: study reveals curative potential

Lithium is not new in medicine. It has been used since the 1970s in the treatment of bipolar disorders, in high doses, to stabilize mood. But in August 2025, a team from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology published in Nature a resounding study. In mice with signs alzheimer’s: study reveals curative potential of Alzheimer’s. very low doses of orotate lithium have restored memory, reduce amyloid plates and tau protein deposits, two characteristic markers of the disease.

Concretely, after a few weeks of treatment, the brain of the mice seemed “rejuvenated”, with reinforced neural connections. “This is the first time that we have observed an almost complete reversal of cognitive symptoms in a Murin Alzheimer’s Murin model”explains Professor Bruce Yankner (Harvard Medical School). co-author of the study.

Lithium: How can this substance change the treatment of Alzheimer’s? – Alzheimer's: study reveals curative potential

Why is it different this time?

Other molecules had already shown encouraging effects in mice, before disappointing in humans. So what’s changing with lithium?

1. A multiple action: lithium is not content to attack a single mechanism. It acts on both tau protein, amyloid plates and myelin that protects neurons.
2. Potential safety: The doses used are 100 to 1. alzheimer’s: study reveals curative potential 000 times lower than those administered to bipolar patients, reducing the risk of well -known side effects (renal, thyroidal damage).
3. A derisory cost: lithium is an old molecule, inexpensive, and already well known to doctors.

Clinical trials … but not for several years

Enthusiasm must however be tempered. Because remember, these results only concern animal models. However, Alzheimer’s disease in humans is infinitely more complex.

Researchers therefore call to launch clinical trials quickly. According to France 24. several European and American laboratories are already under discussion with regulatory agencies to set up tests on volunteers. But the process will take years:

• Phase I (security): by 2026-2027.
• Phase II (preliminary efficiency): around 2028-2029.
• Phase III (Large scale): not before 2030.

In short, no French patient should rush to take lithium in self -medication. At uncontrolled dose, the product can be toxic to the kidneys and the alzheimer’s: study reveals curative potential heart.

What about plants that “clean” the brain?

In parallel with the announcement on lithium. some consumer media relayed a study on an aromatic plant that “clean the brain” and protect against Alzheimer’s.

Caution here again, these are preclinical tests on mice, without solid proof in humans. Plants such as turmeric. ginseng or bacopa monnieri are the subject of serious research, but their effect remains marginal compared to the colossal challenges of the disease according to the INSERM.

NAMELY

Since May 2025, the American FDA has validated the first blood test to help the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. Baptized Snowpowerit measures two key proteins linked to the disease. Result: a simple blood test. with reliability of more than 90 %, can now replace heavy exams such as lumbar puncture or PET scan.

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