{"id":1361,"date":"2026-07-16T16:24:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/?p=1361"},"modified":"2026-07-16T16:24:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:24:06","slug":"mineral-lithium-dementia-alzheimers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/2026\/07\/16\/mineral-lithium-dementia-alzheimers\/","title":{"rendered":"The everyday mineral a Harvard doctor says could help protect your brain from dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Health<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The everyday mineral a Harvard doctor says could help protect your brain from dementia<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

A decade-long study looked at 27 metals in the brain \u2013 and found one surprising link to Alzheimer’s<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Amber Middleton<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What nutrients does your body need? You might think of vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron \u2013 but lithium probably won\u2019t cross your mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The element is better known for its use in batteries and as a treatment for bipolar disorder, but it is also found in drinking water and plants, such as cabbage, potatoes and whole grains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This unassuming mineral might not be common knowledge, but a new study \u2013 recently published in Nature<\/em><\/a> \u2013 has suggested it might play an important role in our brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithium may even help protect us from developing dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lithium is best known for its use in batteries, vital for the production of electric cars. Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lithium in the brain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over a period of 10 years, scientists investigated how metals in the brain relate to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, the most common form of dementia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research \u2013 led by Dr Bruce Yankner, professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard University \u2013 involved assessing the concentration levels of 27 different metals in post-mortem brains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These brains came from healthy individuals, as well as those who had developed mild cognitive impairment and some with Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team examined the prefrontal cortex, a region involved with executive function and often affected in Alzheimer\u2019s \u2013 as well as other regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the prefrontal cortices of people with cognitive impairment or dementia, the scientists found significantly reduced levels of lithium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they didn\u2019t find any major correlations between cognition and other metals across the brain samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having found a link between lithium and brain health, the scientists then tested it out using mice which had been bred to have Alzheimer\u2019s-like brain symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, they discovered that lithium could bind to amyloid beta \u2013 a protein which can contribute to the early stages of dementia, if it binds together \u2013 in the mice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some mice were given lower lithium levels than others throughout their lives, and they developed accelerated Alzheimer’s-like brain changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the brains of mice with normal levels of lithium were better protected from the symptoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n