Lithium (Low-Dose) for Cognitive Decline Support

Research suggests that low-dose lithium may support cognitive health through anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective mechanisms that operate at concentrations well below those used to treat bipolar disorder, with one 2024 narrative review finding that even microdose levels could help counteract cognitive decline and that epidemiological evidence from lithium in drinking water lends additional support to these effects. The available evidence on this specific topic is limited to a single narrative review rather than randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses focused on low-dose lithium for cognition, which means the findings, while suggestive, carry meaningful uncertainty. The remaining studies included in this summary examined unrelated interventions such as neurostimulation devices, MEK inhibitors, metformin, and cellular senescence biology, and do not bear directly on low-dose lithium's effects on cognitive decline. Overall, the research base is preliminary, the mechanisms behind low-dose effects are acknowledged by reviewers to be poorly understood, and more rigorous clinical investigation would be needed before drawing firm conclusions about this application.