Elevated brain levels of magnesium improve learning and memory

January, 2010

A new compound that boosts brain levels of magnesium improved many aspects of learning and memory in both young and old rats.

A rat study has found that increased levels of magnesium in the brain improved many aspects of learning and memory in both young and old rats. Because it is difficult to boost brain magnesium levels with traditional oral supplements, the researchers developed a new magnesium compound, magnesium-L-threonate (MgT). The cognitive improvements were associated with an increase in synapses and improved synaptic plasticity. It’s important to note that the control rats had a normal diet which is widely accepted to contain a sufficient amount of magnesium; thus the observed effects were due to elevation of magnesium to levels higher than provided by a normal diet. It is also estimated that half the population of industrialized countries has a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging. See here for a list of magnesium-rich foods.

Reference: 

Related News

A two-year study which involved metabolic testing of 50 people, suggests that Alzheimer's disease consists of three distinct subtypes, each one of which may need to be treated differently. The finding may help explain why it has been so hard to find effective treatments for the disease.

An 11-week trial involving 54 young, healthy men and women engaging in an endurance training program, has found that markers for the production of new muscle mitochondria only increased in the group not taking vitamin C and E supplements.

A new study from the Women's Health Initiative has found that calcium and vitamin D supplements after menopause can improve women's cholesterol profiles, with much of that effect tied to raising vitamin D levels.

Like us, guinea pigs can’t make vitamin C, but must obtain it from their diet. This makes them a good model for examining the effects of vitamin C deficiency.

The study involved 104 healthy older adults (average age 87) participating in the Oregon Brain Aging Study.

A study involving 676 children (7-9) in rural Nepal has found that those whose mothers received iron, folic acid and vitamin A supplementation during their pregnancies and for three months after the birth performed better on some measures of intellectual and motor functioning compared to offspri

Another study has come out showing that older adults with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have cognitive problems. The six-year study followed 858 adults who were age 65 or older at the beginning of the study.

A study involving 236 persons with multiple sclerosis has found that only 7% of those with secondary-progressive MS showed sufficient vitamin D in their blood, compared to 18.3% of patients with the less severe relapsing-remitting type, and that higher levels of vitamin D3 and its byproducts wer

Seventh graders given 20 mg zinc, five days per week, for 10 to 12 weeks showed improvement in cognitive performance, responding more quickly and accurately on memory tasks and with more sustained attention, than classmates who received no additional zinc.

A study of over 3,100 older men (49-71) from across Europe has found that men with higher levels of vitamin D performed consistently better in an attention and speed of processing task. There was no difference on visual memory tasks.

Pages

Subscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest newsSubscribe to Latest health newsSubscribe to Latest news
Error | About memory

Error

The website encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later.