"Buck Institute research provides further validation that lowdose lithium could be repurposed as a therapy for the incurable neurodegenerative disorder Buck Institute for Research on Aging Lowdose lithium reduced involuntary motor movements  the troubling side effect of the medication most commonly used to treat Parkinsons disease PD  in a mouse model of the condition that is diagnosed in about  Americans each year. The third in a series of studies from the Andersen lab involving PD and lowdose lithium the results add to mounting evidence that lowdoses of the psychotropic drug could benefit patients suffering from the incurable degenerative condition. This study published online in Brain Research involved Parkinsonian mice that were given CarbidopaLevodopa sold as Sinemet a drug used to boost levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine which is lost in PD. While the medication remains the single most effective agent in the management of PD symptoms longterm use causes its own side effects among them abnormal involuntary movements or AIMS. Buck professor and senior scientist Julie Andersen PhD says AIMS become problematic for  percent of patients after four to six years of treatment with Sinemet with  percent of patients suffering from the complication after nine years of chronic use. For patients these side effects are just as devastating as the freezing that is associated with PD. In our mice we saw significant behavioral improvement.  In this study Andersen and her team dosed the mice with an amount of lithium equivalent to about a quarter of what humans receive for the treatment of psychiatric diseases. Researchers found that lithium boosted the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase which increases dopamine synthesis via the inhibition of calpain an enzyme that normally reduces dopamine synthesis.  In earlier studies Andersens team found that lowdose lithium was protective in two different mouse models of PD. Treatment in mice with a human mutation for PD began when the animals reached late middleage the human equivalent of about  which is the average age of onset of Parkinsons in humans. We clearly saw a prevention of the motor difficulties we would expect to see in the animals said Andersen. The treatment also protected the area of the brain that is normally damaged by Parkinsons.  Plans for a clinical trial of lowdose lithium for PD patients are in early stages. This study suggests potential therapeutic benefit in PD said David K. Simon MD PhD Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Simon chairs the Scientific Review Committee for the Parkinsons Study Group a notforprofit network of Parkinsons Centers. One caveat is that other agents that have shown clear efficacy in this model of PD have subsequently failed to show benefit in clinical studies in PD e.g. CoQ creatine and pioglitazone. However this study provides additional evidence on top of prior work from Dr. Andersens lab and others that lithium may have therapeutic potential in PD which is a hypothesis that should be tested in clinical trials he said. Lithium is a naturally occurring element not a developed molecule like most medications. It was approved by the FDA for the treatment of bipolar disorder in  and has shown to be effective for treating mood disorders and suicidal thoughts. Previous studies suggest that at low doses lithium has a protective effect in other neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimers and Huntingtons.  Citation The combination of lithium and LDopaCarbidopa reduces MPTPinduced abnormal involuntary movements AIMs via calpain inhibition in a mouse model relevance for Parkinsons disease therapy.  This work was supported by grants from National Institutes of Health PGM RL NS  Other Buck Institute contributors include Rebecca R. Riley and Anand Rane. Corresponding author Y. Hwan Kim a former member of the Andersen lab is now in the Department of Biological Sciences Delaware State University Carol A. Lazzara from Delaware State University also contributed to the work.  About the Buck Institute for Research on Aging  The Buck Institute is the U.S.s first independent research organization devoted to Geroscience  focused on the connection between normal aging and chronic disease. Based in Novato CA The Buck is dedicated to extending Healthspan the healthy years of human life and does so utilizing a unique interdisciplinary approach involving laboratories studying the mechanisms of aging and those focused on specific diseases. Buck scientists strive to discover new ways of detecting preventing and treating agerelated diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons cancer cardiovascular disease macular degeneration osteoporosis diabetes and stroke. In their collaborative research they are supported by the most recent developments in genomics proteomics bioinformatics and stem cell technologies. For more information http"