Lithium protects against oxidative stress-mediated cell death in α-synuclein-overexpressing in-vitro and in-vivo models of Parkinson's disease.
Yong-Hwan Kim, Anand Rane, Stephanie Lussier, Julie K. Andersen
Journal of Neuroscience Research
Article first published online: 24 JUN 2011
An interesting article published this week online. Whilst this is an encouraging finding given that lithium was shown to reduce cell loss in this animal model of Parkinson's, it is important to remember that this is very early work and must be investigated further. The animal models of Parkinson's, whilst similar to the disease in humans, are not identical and therefore what works in animals may not perform the same in humans. However, if these results could be replicated, this would be important. Lithium is a well established drug that has been used for many years in psychiatric medicine and the safety/side effects are well known. It would also be much cheaper than emerging, newly designed drugs.
In summary, an interesting finding but one that needs a lot more study.
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