Extended Data Fig. 2: Lithium deficiency does not impair exploratory behavior or motor function in mice.
From: Lithium deficiency and the onset of Alzheimer’s disease
a–c, Li levels measured by ICP-MS in serum (a) and cortex (b) of 15-month-old 3xTg mice, and in cortex of 20-month-old WT mice (c) fed CTRL or DEF diets (n = 5 per group). d, Amyloid plaque burden in the hippocampus of 12-month-old 3xTg mice after 5 weeks of CTRL or DEF diet (n = 7 per group). e, Aβx-40 and Aβx-42 levels in the hippocampus of 26-month-old WT mice (treated from 12–26 months of age; CTRL n = 7; DEF n = 6), normalized to total protein. f, Immunofluorescence for pSer202-tau (CP13) in CA1 of 12-month-old 3xTg mice after 5 weeks of CTRL or DEF diet (n = 7 per group). g, pSer202-tau pathology in 15-month-old 3xTg mice fed either standard PicoLab® Rodent Diet 20 (CTRL 5053, n = 7) or a chemically-defined control diet (CTRL AIN-93M, n = 10), compared to those on Li-deficient chemically-defined AIN-93M diet (n = 9) for 9 months. h–l, Behavioral testing of 3xTg mice fed CTRL or DEF diets from 6–13.5 months of age: Open field activity (h–j), Morris water maze swim speed (k), and latency to reach a visible platform elevated above water level (l). m–q, Behavioral testing of 20-month-old WT mice fed CTRL or DEF diets from 12–20 months of age: Open field activity (m–o), swim speed (p), and latency to reach a visible platform (q). a–g, Data normalized to CTRL group means. l,q, Data are the mean ± s.e.m. a-k,m-p, Box plots show individual values, median (line), box limits (25th-75th percentiles), and whiskers (min-max). P-values by unpaired two-tailed t-test, except g (one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test). h-l, n = 16 CTRL. h, j-l, n = 21 DEF. i, n = 20 DEF. m-o, n = 33 CTRL, n = 43 DEF. p,q, n = 25 CTRL, n = 34 DEF.
