Magnesium Supplement Helps Boost Brainpower

Increasing magnesium intake may be a valid 

strategy to enhance cognitive abilities. (Credit:

iStockphoto/Vasiliy Yakobchuk)                   

                                                                               

ScienceDaily (Jan. 27, 2010) — New research finds that an increase in brain magnesium improves learning and memory in young and old rats. The study, published in the January 28th issue of the journal Neuron, suggests that increasing magnesium intake may be a valid strategy to enhance cognitive abilities and supports speculation that inadequate levels of magnesium impair cognitive function, leading to faster deterioration of memory in aging humans.

Diet can have a significant impact on cognitive capacity. Identification of dietary factors which have a positive influence on synapses, the sites of communication between neurons, might help to enhance learning and memory and prevent their decline with age and disease. Professor Guosong Liu, Director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, led a study examining whether increased levels of one such dietary supplement, magnesium, boosts brain power.

"Magnesium is essential for the proper functioning of many tissues in the body, including the brain and, in an earlier study, we demonstrated that magnesium promoted synaptic plasticity in cultured brain cells," explains Dr. Liu. "Therefore it was tempting to take our studies a step further and investigate whether an increase in brain magnesium levels enhanced cognitive function in animals."

Because it is difficult to boost brain magnesium levels with traditional oral supplements, Dr. Liu and colleagues developed a new magnesium compound, magnesium-L-threonate (MgT) that could significantly increase magnesium in the brain via dietary supplementation. They used MgT to increase magnesium in rats of different ages and then looked for behavioral and cellular changes associated with memory.

"We found that increased brain magnesium enhanced many different forms of learning and memory in both young and aged rats," says Dr. Liu. A close examination of cellular changes associated with memory revealed an increase in the number of functional synapses, activation of key signaling molecules and an enhancement of short- and long-term synaptic processes that are crucial for learning and memory.

The authors note that the control rats in this study had a normal diet which is widely accepted to contain a sufficient amount of magnesium, and that the observed effects were due to elevation of magnesium to levels higher than provided by a normal diet.

"Our findings suggest that elevating brain magnesium content via increasing magnesium intake might be a useful new strategy to enhance cognitive abilities," explains Dr. Liu. "Moreover, half the population of industrialized countries has a magnesium deficit, which increases with aging. This may very well contribute to age-dependent memory decline; increasing magnesium intake might prevent or reduce such decline."

Cure for brain diseases closer as adult skin cells turned into nerves

DEBORAH SMITH SCIENCE EDITOR

January 28, 2010 - 11:15AM

SKIN cells have been converted directly into brain cells in the lab for the first time.

A new technique avoids the usual first step in which adult cells must be switched back to an embryonic-like state before they can be redirected into different types of tissue.

Scientists said the research, carried out with mice cells, demonstrated the surprising versatility of adult cells. If it is replicated with human cells, it could aid medical research and treatment of degenerative brain and nerve diseases.

Marius Wernig, of Stanford University, said his team achieved the feat by adding three genes to the skin cells using a virus.

The result, within a week, was fully functional nerve cells, or neurons, that could communicate and make connections with other nerve cells. "They can do all the principal things that neurons in the brain can do," said Dr Wernig, whose study is published in the journal Nature. "We were surprised by both the timing and the efficiency [of conversion]."

John Rasko, head of cell and molecular therapies at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said the new approach was an important advance, because it might avoid one of the most feared side effects of using embryonic, or embryonic-like, stem cells to treat people – the development of cancer.

"It is hoped that these new cells might have applications in drug discovery and in therapies for neurological diseases including Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury. But much work remains to be done before these promises can be realised in the clinic," Professor Rasko said.

Andrew Laslett, a CSIRO stem cell researcher, also stressed that safety testing needed to be carried out before its potential could be judged. But the fact skin cells could be converted to brain cells was scientifically fascinating, Dr Laslett said: "What they've done goes against all the biology I learnt [at university]."

Boost brain power and memory

Memory involves the ability to store, retain and retrieve information, experiences and skills. The brain is responsible for memory and there are certain chemicals in the brain that are important to memory.

Many people are interested in improving memory such as students who are constantly preparing for examinations, adults struggling with memory lapses and older persons who dread diseases that affect memory (such as Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia).

The quality of diet affects the health and function of the brain including memory. The foods I highlight here are available in Jamaica and are relatively cheap, especially in these times of recession.

1. A good breakfast is important. This should include adequate amounts of carbohydrates (carbs). Carbs appear to play a greater role than fats and proteins in improving long-term memory. Breakfast should include some complex carbs such as potatoes, yams, bananas, whole grain bread, fruits and vegetables. Avoid simple sugars such as cakes, doughnuts, biscuits and milk shakes for breakfast.

2. Antioxidants are important. The body produces chemicals called free radicals that cause the build-up of plaque in blood vessels, blocking them like a hose and decreasing blood supply to the brain. Free radicals also destroy brain cells. Antioxidants will mop up the free radicals and, therefore, improve brain function.

Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, especially those plants with bright colours such as spinach, sorrel, beet, red peppers and berries such as cranberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries. Jamaicans are among the greatest consumers of cranberries in the world. Interestingly, cranberries are grown here and blackberries and raspberries grow wild in the colder parts of Jamaica.

3. B vitamins. This includes vitamin B12, B6 and folic acid. These play an important role in memory function so ensure that you get adequate amounts of them. Some B vitamins such as folic acid are linked to Alzheimer's disease. Vegetarians should be reminded that B12 is mainly found in meat, poultry and fish, so they may want to consider a supplement. Although the body can store B12 for many years, a deficiency of this vitamin may cause long-term damage to the brain cells.

4. Fish oil is great. Grandma was right again - foods rich in fish oil may help improve brain function. This is so because omega fatty acids are major components of the brain's grey matter. Fish oil contains omega-3 fatty acid which is a safe form of fat. Too much saturated fat or trans-fatty acid affects the brain and memory.

5. Zinc is important. This is an important nutrient that is found in parts of the brain important for learning and memory.

6. What about supplements? Many persons have become hooked on supplements. I am often surprised at the way some people have converted their homes into pharmacies. Less is more. All that is necessary is a good supplement that supplies 100 per cent of recommended dietary requirements.

Adults over 65 should consider supplements which include vitamins B6, C, D, E and folic acid, along with minerals such as iron, zinc and selenium as these may improve brain function. Vitamins C and E reduce the risk of developing small strokes and Alzheimer's disease.

Dr Wendel Abel is a consultant psychiatrist and head, Section of Psychiatry, Dept. Of Community Health and Psychiatry, University of the West Indies, 977-1108