Magnesium is one of the most abundant cations in the intracellular environment after potassium. Under physiological conditions, Mg2+ is tightly regulated and maintained at basal levels by normal Mg2+ intake, absorption, and metabolism. Total magnesium levels in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's patients were found to be 18% lower compared to normal subjects. While the presence of magnesium deficiency in Alzheimer's patients is noteworthy, its severity may be underestimated. In healthy individuals, serum Mg2+ concentration ranges from 0.70 mM to 1.05 mM. Mg2+ deficiency is usually determined by measuring total serum Mg2+ concentration, but this does not fully reflect the magnesium concentration in the human body. Most Mg2+ is stored in bone, muscle, and soft tissue, and the serum Mg2+ ratio is very low. Even if the human body is in a state of severe Mg2+ depletion, serum magnesium may still be within the normal range. Although magnesium concentration is reduced in Alzheimer's patients, the degree of deficiency cannot be fully assessed. It is difficult to evaluate not only magnesium deficiency but also the appropriateness of magnesium supplementation. Slutsky et al. found that following long-term magnesium supplementation, the concentration of Mg2+ in the cerebrospinal fluid increased by only 15%. On the one hand, systemic magnesium is closely regulated by kidney function. On the other hand, the blood-brain barrier isolates the brain from daily fluctuations in blood magnesium. Hippocampal synapses are very sensitive to small changes in extracellular Mg2+ concentration (increasing magnesium concentration by 15% could increase synaptic density by 50%). Compared to other Mg2+ compounds (magnesium chloride, magnesium citrate, and magnesium gluconate, etc.), dietary intake of magnesium L-threonate can significantly increase Mg2+ levels in the brain. Therefore, magnesium L-threonate intake, by restoring brain magnesium, may be a potential support in treating cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's patients.

PUBLICATIONS ON THE SUBJECT:

** In: Magnesium in the Central Nervous System [Internet]. Adelaide (AU): University of Adelaide Press; 2011.

Magnesium in Alzheimer's disease

** Nutrients. 2018 Jun 6;10(6):730. doi:10.3390/nu10060730.

The Role of Magnesium in Neurological Disorders

** World J Psychiatry. 2022 Sep 19;12(9):1261-1263. doi:10.5498/wjp.v12.i9.1261.

Magnesium may be an effective therapy for Alzheimer's disease

** Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Dec 23;24(1):223. doi:10.3390/ijms24010223.

Magnesium and the Brain: A Focus on Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration

** Front Hum Neurosci. 2013 Oct 29;7:735. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2013.00735.

The role of iron-induced fibrin in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and the protective role of magnesium

** CNS Neurosci Ther. 2018 Jan;24(1):70-79. doi:10.1111/cns.12775.

Magnesium boosts the memory restorative effect of environmental enrichment in Alzheimer's disease mice