Harvard Lithium for Alzheimer's Study Explained

Researchers out of Harvard recently published a peer-reviewed paper looking at the impact of lithium deficiency on the development of Alzheimer's, and the results have monumental implications for the future of understanding and potentially treating Alzheimer's disease. In this video, I give you the broad overview and then walk you through the series of studies they conducted step-by-step. If you have any questions for me about this research, I will do my best to answer in the comments! Here is the original study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09335-x My thorough writeup: https://robertduff.substack.com/p/is-lithium-the-secret-to-curing-alzheimers Chapters 00:00 – Big news: Harvard’s lithium–Alzheimer’s discovery 01:00 – Study overview & why it’s exciting 02:00 – Key findings: lithium levels in Alzheimer’s brains 03:00 – Human data: plaques binding lithium & memory loss 04:00 – Background: what is Alzheimer’s disease? 05:00 – Progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia 06:00 – Hallmarks: amyloid plaques, tau tangles, brain atrophy 07:00 – Inflammation, immune changes, and brain energy use 08:00 – Lithium’s history in psychiatry & mood stabilization 09:00 – Population studies: lithium in water linked to dementia risk 10:00 – Launching the Harvard study design 11:00 – Measuring lithium in human brains (spectrometry) 12:00 – Findings: lithium bound to plaques, depleted elsewhere 13:00 – Cognitive testing: memory decline tied to low lithium 14:00 – Animal models: genetically modified mice 15:00 – Age-dependent lithium changes with plaque buildup 16:00 – Lithium-depleted diets increase plaques & tangles in mice 17:00 – Cognitive testing in mice: water maze results 18:00 – Transcriptome & proteome findings (high-level) 19:00 – Testing different lithium salts (carbonate vs orate) 20:00 – Results: lithium orate restores lithium to brain tissue 21:00 – Preventing plaques and tangles in mice 22:00 – Reversing memory loss and reducing plaques 23:00 – Implications & limitations: mice vs humans 24:00 – Recap of major findings & cautions Welcome! I’m Dr. Robert Duff. I am a neuropsychologist, therapist, and author. My goal is to make educational and entertaining content about mental health, psychology, and the brain—in other words, mental health for real people. If you enjoy this content, please hit Subscribe, turn on notifications, and share it with someone who needs it. Stay connected: - Weekly newsletter: https://robertduff.substack.com – free tips, Q&A, and community updates. - My website: https://duffthepsych.com – articles, resources, and ways to work with me. - Books & guides: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00NDY4THK?ccs_id=5c5cac88-b920-4fc3-809c-f592ad3b55d3 – practical mental-health guides and workbooks. - Instagram: https://instagram.com/duffthepsych – daily insights, behind-the-scenes, and community chats. How to help the channel: 1. Like and comment to share your takeaways or questions—this helps others see the video. 2. Share the video with a friend, family member, or on social media. 3. Subscribe and turn on notifications so you never miss a new episode. Thank you for watching and supporting this mental-health community! #mentalhealth #psychology #selfhelp