This posting is inspired from my recent conversations with a few THD residents who are exhibiting symptoms of early AZD. They asked me what I know about drugs under development for the treatment of early AZD. Here's what I learned for your information
Here’s what is recruiting locally, and some resources you can use to stay up-to-date / possibly get involved:
Trials in the Bay Area that are recruiting (or active) — but don’t (so far) appear to involve lithium
Here are some studies near you that are looking for participants. These could be of interest generally, though they are not testing lithium:
| Study | Institution / Location | What It's About | How to Find Out More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthy Brain Aging Study | Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (Stanford ADRC) | Studying people with Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment, Lewy body disease, Parkinson’s, and healthy aging. Looks at many risk / resilience factors (imaging, blood tests, etc.) rather than a specific treatment. Stanford Medicine | Contact Stanford ADRC: their clinical trials page. Stanford Medicine |
| Alzheimer Gut Microbiome Project (AGMP) | Stanford ADRC | Investigate the role of the gut microbiome in Alzheimer’s disease. Stanford Medicine | |
| ACAD (Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease) | Stanford ADRC | Genetics of Alzheimer’s in people of Asian descent; could involve biomarker work. Stanford Medicine | |
| “Development of a cost-effective and neurobiologically valid VR assessment tool for early detection of AD” | Stanford ADRC | Developing tools using virtual reality and imaging to detect early AD. Stanford Medicine |
These are more observational or diagnostic / risk-factor studies rather than treatment trials.
How to keep watch / get notified for lithium-oriented Alzheimer’s trials locally
Because a lithium trial might not yet be publicly recruiting, here are ways you can monitor or possibly help influence recruitment:
ClinicalTrials.gov — Search with keywords like “lithium Alzheimer”, “lithium orotate”, “trace lithium”, and restrict to locations in California / San Francisco / Walnut Creek. You can also set alerts.
Alzheimer’s Association TrialMatch — They have a tool that matches you to studies. If you sign up and indicate your location + interest, you may get notified of trials near you. Alzheimer’s Association+1
Stanford ADRC and UCSF Memory & Aging Center — These institutions are major hubs for Alzheimer’s research in your area; you can sometimes contact their research coordinators, express interest, ask if there are upcoming lithium studies or wish-to-be-on-a-waiting-list.
NIH Alzheimer’s Disease Research Centers listings / newsletters** — ADRCs often have pilot trials / early phase human trials; joining their mailing list or following their updates may give you early notice.
There are several human lithium studies (and a high-profile mouse→human research thread), but I could not find any recruiting Bay-Area (Walnut Creek / SF / Stanford / UCSF) clinical trials that specifically test lithium (or lithium orotate) for Alzheimer’s right now. UCSF Clinical Trials+4Nature+4Alzamend Neuro, Inc.+4
What I checked and what I found
The high-impact mouse paper and followups sparked a number of news stories and renewed interest; it’s the reason many groups are looking into lithium again. That mouse work (and commentary) is summarized in the Nature paper and NIH / news coverage. Nature+1
A company (Alzamend Neuro) running a brain-targeted lithium formulation (AL001) has moved AL001 into Phase II studies — those trials are being run at sites like Massachusetts General Hospital so far, not the Bay Area. This is the closest thing to a new lithium clinical program in early-phase human work. Alzamend Neuro, Inc.+1
There are earlier and small human lithium studies (some completed) testing lithium carbonate or low-dose lithium in MCI/AD or for behavioral symptoms, with mixed results—some suggest slowing of decline, others no clear benefit in short trials. But none of those appear to be current, recruiting Bay-Area lithium trials. ClinicalTrials.gov+1
I searched the major local trial hubs (Stanford ADRC, UCSF Memory & Aging Center) and their trial listings — both have active Alzheimer’s trials, but I didn’t find any listing that explicitly tests lithium or lithium orotate at their Bay Area sites. Stanford Medicine+1
Trials I did find worth watching
AL001 (Alzamend) — Phase II “Lithium in Brain” program (first Phase II sites have been at MGH; company press releases describe ongoing PK/brain-delivery studies). If AL001 expands sites it could come to other academic centers. Alzamend Neuro, Inc.+1
NCT06662526 — a prevention trial planned in Chile testing trace lithium for cognitive decline in older adults with mood disorders (not Bay Area, but shows the international interest). ClinicalTrials.gov
Practical next steps (how you — or I — can keep watching and get notified)
Set ClinicalTrials.gov alerts / run a targeted search (search keywords: “lithium”, “lithium orotate”, “trace lithium”, “AL001”) and restrict to radius around your ZIP or to California. ClinicalTrials.gov supports email alerts. ClinicalTrials.gov
Sign up for TrialMatch (Alzheimer’s Association) — they’ll match you if a nearby study begins recruiting. Alzheimer’s Association
Contact Stanford ADRC / UCSF Memory & Aging Center research coordinators and tell them you’re interested in lithium-based studies — researchers sometimes add sites or open early-phase trials by request. Stanford Medicine+1
Watch Alzamend’s site / press releases for announcements of new Phase II locations or investigator-initiated studies.
Personal Note: For those of you who are interested in signing up for clinical trails, read ClinicalTrials. gov or Alzheimer's Association.
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