A Daily Small Dose Of Lithium May Prevent Progression of Mild Cognitive Impairment
A very small dose of lithium, 150 mg/day, has been reported to lessen the progression of mild cognitive impairment over a period of one year compared to placebo. In a 2011 article by Orestes Forlenza and colleagues published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, the researchers reported the findings from their prospective randomized study of lithium versus placebo in 45 patients.
Editor’s Note: While these findings must still be replicated, there are several reasons to suggest that they may be reliable and valid. Read more
Citicoline May Boost Cognition in Healthy Women
Citicoline is a natural substance found in the brain and the liver that is also available as a nutritional supplement. At the 51st Annual Meeting of the National Institute of Mental Health’s New Clinical Drug Evaluation Unit in 2011, Erin McGlade and other researchers from the University of Utah Brain Institute presented research showing that citicoline enhanced cognition among healthy women, particularly bringing about improvement in attention. Citicoline has few side effects.
The participants in this study were 60 women aged 40 to 60 years who had neither a psychiatric disorder nor any abnormal cognitive decline. The women were divided into groups in which, over the course of a month, they received either 250mg of citicoline, 500mg of citicoline, or a placebo. Both groups who received citicoline performed better on a test of attention at the end of the month than the women who had received placebo.
Editor’s Note: Given that citicoline helps with cognition in healthy women, it may be effective in preventing the cognitive deficits that accompany both the normal aging process and some psychiatric illnesses.
