Clinical trial · Supplements / medicine · 2 Mar 2026
Low-dose lithium missed coprimary endpoints in a two-year mild cognitive impairment pilot
Source: JAMA Neurology / PMC
What the research found
Study (pilot RCT). Ariel Gildengers and University of Pittsburgh investigators report LATTICE in JAMA Neurology (doi 10.1001/jamaneurol.2026.0072): 80 adults aged 60+ with MCI (56% female; mean ages ~72–73) randomised to low-dose lithium carbonate or placebo for two years. None of six coprimary outcomes met the prespecified p<0.01 threshold (verbal memory, visuospatial memory, PACC composite, hippocampal volume, cortical gray matter, plasma BDNF). CVLT-II delayed recall declined 1.42 points/year on placebo vs 0.73 on lithium (difference 0.69; 95% CI 0.01–1.37; p=0.05), a nominal signal that did not survive multiple-comparison control. Lithium is a prescription medicine. This is not a reason to start, stop, or replace any prescribed drug, and lithium is not a dietary supplement SKU. Off-label cognitive use is clinician-only. Educational trial notes, not medical advice.
Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.
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