Initial trials of low-dose lithium failed to improve long COVID symptoms , but new findings suggest higher doses could offer hope for patients suffering from fatigue and cognitive impairment. Study: Lithium Aspartate for Long COVID Fatigue and Cognitive Dysfunction . Image Credit: p.
ill.i / Shutterstock A recent study published in the journal JAMA Network Open investigated the effects of lithium aspartate on cognitive dysfunction and fatigue in post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) condition (PCC). Long COVID or PCC is the persistence of symptoms for ≥ four weeks after COVID-19 recovery.
PCC symptoms can linger for over six months in 10% of patients; cognitive dysfunction, fatigue, and post-exertional malaise are the most common symptoms. PCC remains a major cause of disability, impacting the quality of life of around 65 million individuals worldwide. Neuroimaging and autopsy data support chronic brain inflammation as a contributor to neurologic symptoms of PCC – cognitive dysfunction and fatigue.
Specifically, increased activation in the ventral striatum, dorsal putamen, and thalamus has been linked to these symptoms. Increased astrocyte and microglia activation has been observed in patients with neurologic PCC symptoms, suggesting elevated neuroinflammation. Therapies that suppress glial activation and neuroinflammation could be promising for neurologic PCC.
Lithium aspartate was chosen specifically over lithium carbonate due to its availability as a dietary suppleme.
