Hidden in the Water: Lithium’s Secret

What if one of the brain’s most important defenses was hiding in plain sight? In this episode, we take a look at lithium, a trace element found in water, food, and the brain itself. Long before brain scans, people made pilgrimages to lithium-rich springs, swearing the waters restored their health. A century later, it became a psychiatric drug. But new research from Harvard Medical School has uncovered something unique: lithium is a master regulator in the brain, and one of the earliest changes in Alzheimer’s disease is that it disappears. We follow the evidence from historical clues to modern lab discoveries, revealing how amyloid plaques trap lithium, how that loss accelerates neurodegeneration, and how restoring it at nutritional doses could help preserve memory (without the risks of high-dose therapy).

00:00 Introduction: The Mystery of Aging and Dementia

00:42 The History and Discovery of Lithium

01:31 Lithium's Role in Mental Health

01:53 Lithium and Cognitive Decline

03:18 Harvard's Breakthrough Research

05:01 Mechanisms of Lithium in the Brain

07:34 Clinical Studies and Trials

09:13 Nutritional Lithium: Dosage and Sources

11:22 Conclusion: implying the brain is exquisitely sensitive to Li levels.

PMID: 40770094

PMID: 17401045

PMID: 20148870

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PMID: 30066063