Study shows for the first time that lithium plays an essential role in normal brain function and can confer resistance to brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease. The findings — 10 years in the making — unify decades-long observations in patients, providing a new theory of the disease and a new strategy for early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Conclusions are based on a series of experiments in mice and on analyses of human brain tissue and blood samples from individuals in various stages of cognitive health.

Kayhan Batmanghelich, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Hariri Institute Junior Faculty Fellow and AIR Affiliate at Boston University, was awarded a $3.1 million competitive renewal R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. With this grant, Batmanghelich will lead transformative research on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) with collaborators from Boston University College of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.