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Neurodegenerative disease

Lithium promotes accumulation of brain iron via tau suppression

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 12, pages 492–493 (2016)Cite this article

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Lithium, a drug that is widely used to treat bipolar disorder, is reported to reduce tau expression in the brain, and has been proposed as a treatment for neurological disorders that feature prominent tau pathology, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A new study, however, indicates that lithium could do more harm than good in this context. The findings, which were reported in Molecular Psychiatry, indicate that tau has a key role in regulating iron levels in the brain, and loss of this protein could exacerbate the brain iron accumulation that has been observed in conditions such as AD and ALS.

A new study ... indicates that lithium could do more harm than good

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References

  1. Lei, P. et al. Lithium suppression of tau induces brain iron accumulation and neurodegeneration. Mol. Psychiatry http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/mp.2016.96 (2016)

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  1. Heather Wood
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Related links in Nature Research

Berger, G. E. et al. Neuroprotective effects of low-dose lithium in individuals at ultra-high risk for psychosis. A longitudinal MRI/MRS study. Curr. Pharm. Des. 18, 570–575 (2012)

Lei, P. et al. Tau deficiency induces parkinsonism with dementia by impairing APP-mediated iron export. Nat. Med. 18, 291–295 (2012)

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Wood, H. Lithium promotes accumulation of brain iron via tau suppression. Nat Rev Neurol 12, 492–493 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2016.112

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