wright
Very helpful member
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Hey guys
I was sent the lithium study by a fellow ALS forum member (Mark) and it certainly appears to be very well done. It was a double-blind study (with the exception of one physician who needed to know who was getting lithium to adjust levels if needed . . . but that physician did not evaluate any of the data). As the initial rumors had it, lithium significantly slowed the progression of the disease. There were a number of parameters used to asses progression: ALSFRS-R scale, Norris scale and forced vital capacity to measure lung function. There were 16 test subjects who took lithium (25% were bulbar . . . that is . . . 4 of the 16) and 22 controls who took a placebo (29% were bulbar . . . that is . . . 7 of the 22). All of the lithium-taking PALS survived and stayed relatively stable over a period of 15 months. There was definite decline in health in the control group, along with about 30% who did not survive (they didn't indicate if they were bulbar or limb-onset).
This clinical study was more or less rushed to be started because of the promising data they had gathered previously in an animal mouse model and in cell culture. They showed that lithium was able to actually cause an increase in a certain type of cell (Renshaw cells) in the spinal cord (these cells are not motor neurons) thought to be involved in the disease process of ALS. They also showed how lithium "stabilizes" certain structures of motor neurons that help them survive, showed that lithium causes the motor neurons to get rid of structures that cause damage, and that lithium promotes a number of other processes that keeps motor neurons from dying.
The only draw-back in the study is the small number of participants. Sometimes when a study is this small, it doesn't always give a true reading. However, from what I understand, they are going to have a much bigger trial, and I'm sure there will be many more studies to follow this one in clinics around the world and I'm sure those studies will be large ones.
Bottom line: it certainly looks promising to me. Again, the study was well done, so I think we should all be hopeful. As I've seen on here, there are a number of you already taking lithium, so keep us posted as to your progress . . . or should I say . . . slowing of progression. :mrgreen:
I was sent the lithium study by a fellow ALS forum member (Mark) and it certainly appears to be very well done. It was a double-blind study (with the exception of one physician who needed to know who was getting lithium to adjust levels if needed . . . but that physician did not evaluate any of the data). As the initial rumors had it, lithium significantly slowed the progression of the disease. There were a number of parameters used to asses progression: ALSFRS-R scale, Norris scale and forced vital capacity to measure lung function. There were 16 test subjects who took lithium (25% were bulbar . . . that is . . . 4 of the 16) and 22 controls who took a placebo (29% were bulbar . . . that is . . . 7 of the 22). All of the lithium-taking PALS survived and stayed relatively stable over a period of 15 months. There was definite decline in health in the control group, along with about 30% who did not survive (they didn't indicate if they were bulbar or limb-onset).
This clinical study was more or less rushed to be started because of the promising data they had gathered previously in an animal mouse model and in cell culture. They showed that lithium was able to actually cause an increase in a certain type of cell (Renshaw cells) in the spinal cord (these cells are not motor neurons) thought to be involved in the disease process of ALS. They also showed how lithium "stabilizes" certain structures of motor neurons that help them survive, showed that lithium causes the motor neurons to get rid of structures that cause damage, and that lithium promotes a number of other processes that keeps motor neurons from dying.
The only draw-back in the study is the small number of participants. Sometimes when a study is this small, it doesn't always give a true reading. However, from what I understand, they are going to have a much bigger trial, and I'm sure there will be many more studies to follow this one in clinics around the world and I'm sure those studies will be large ones.
Bottom line: it certainly looks promising to me. Again, the study was well done, so I think we should all be hopeful. As I've seen on here, there are a number of you already taking lithium, so keep us posted as to your progress . . . or should I say . . . slowing of progression. :mrgreen:
