A new study shows that lack of lithium in the body could be a crucial factor in the development of dementia in Alzheimer's patients.

Over a decade of research, published in the journal Nature, demonstrates for the first time that lithium occurs naturally in the brain and maintains the normal functioning of all its major cell types, preventing nerve degradation. Loss of lithium in the human brain is one of the earliest changes that lead to Alzheimer's, and in mice, similar lithium depletion accelerated memory decline. Low lithium levels have been found in some cases due to impaired uptake and binding to amyloid plaques, which are known hallmarks of Alzheimer's.