WASHINGTON: Patients who undergo radiation for treatment of brain tumors might survive their cancer only to have lasting memory and learning deficiencies, the impact of which can be particularly devastating on children, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center researchers have discovered.

The researchers are saying that in order to avoid this, patients should take lithium, a drug commonly used to treat bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses, as it can protect brain cells involved in learning and memory from radiation damage.

The research, which was presented at the 46th annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, said that in addition to killing cancer cells, radiation can cause cell death also called 'apoptosis' in normal cells as well. It is particularly harmful for neurons in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that plays a crucial role in learning and memory.

Lithium, however, can protect neurons from a variety of cytotoxic damage, including Alzheimer's disease, which leads to progressive and profound memory loss.

The researchers carried out studies on animals and found that animals pre-treated with lithium performed better than those who did not receive lithium prior to radiation.

The team further noted that lithium did not appear to protect other types of brain cells studied, suggesting that its effects may be selective for neurons.

"Lithium may therefore provide a means of attenuating long-term cognitive deficits in patients treated with cranial irradiation," the researchers wrote in their study.