1. Alzheimer’s disease, which represents 60–80% of dementia cases, robs people of their memory, cognition and independence. A decade-long period of mild cognitive impairment precedes the onset of dementia, which affects about 10% of people over the age of 65. Although the disease has no cure, regulators have approved two antibody therapies that aim to clear the characteristic extracellular deposits of amyloid protein from the brain to slow deterioration. However, the benefits of these treatments are modest, and they have serious brain-damaging side effects, including the worsening of atrophy. Therefore, alternative treatment approaches are urgently needed. Writing in Nature, Aron et al. introduce lithium deficiency in the brain as a possible contributor to Alzheimer’s disease and a potential non-conventional therapeutic target. (Source: nature.com)
2. A week ago, Katie Couric posted an interview she conducted with Dr. Bruce Yankner, lead author of the lithium deficiency study mentioned above. Dr. Yankner is a professor of genetics and neurology at Harvard Medical School. The interview is fascinating and well worth your time. You can watch it by clicking on this link. (Sources: youtube.com, katiecouric.substack.com, yankner.hms.harvard.edu, nature.com)
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