In Brief: Lithium may reduce risk of dementia
Lithium may reduce risk of dementia
Although bipolar disorder is often characterized by its roller-coaster effects on mood, one of its long-term consequences is an increased likelihood of developing dementia.
In Brief: Lithium may reduce risk of dementia
Lithium may reduce risk of dementia
Although bipolar disorder is often characterized by its roller-coaster effects on mood, one of its long-term consequences is an increased likelihood of developing dementia. It's not clear why, but one theory is that repeated episodes of mania may damage the brain. Now a large study suggests that continued lithium therapy may offer a brain-protective effect.
Researchers at the University Hospital of Copenhagen examined national medical and prescription records from 1995 to 2005. They compared the rate of dementia diagnoses in 16,238 patients who filled a lithium prescription at least once with that in a random sample of nearly 1.5 million people in the general population who never took lithium.