Consider adding magnesium, an essential mineral found in legumes and green leafy vegetables, in your daily diet. A study on mice indicates that regular intake of magnesium can help enhance cognitive abilities, therefore preventing age-related memory decline.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," explained lead researcher Professor Guosong Liu, director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

"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." Magnesium is very essential for the normal cellular functioning as well as for body’s health, and lack of it may result in physiological impairments, the authors warned.

Mice studied For the study, researchers developed a magnesium compound called magnesium-L-threonate (MgT), especially designed to elevate magnesium levels in the brain. The compound was then fed to rats of different ages to examine behavioral and cellular changes associated with memory.

Magnesium linked to improved memory
Analyzing the brain functions of the animals, the researchers found that increased brain magnesium resulted in improved learning abilities, and short and long-term memory in both young and aged mice.

The compound, MgT, also enhanced the strength of the junctions called synapses between neurons, which aid in transmitting nerve signals.

"We found that increased brain magnesium enhanced many different forms of learning and memory in both young and aged rats," Guosong Liu said.

"Our findings suggest that elevating brain magnesium content via increasing magnesium intake might be a useful new strategy to enhance cognitive abilities," added Liu.

Findings useful
The researchers are hopeful that the findings of the study will have significant implications for humans as well.

“If MgT is shown to be safe and effective in humans, these results may have a significant impact on public health,” Liu said.

They have also outlined the need for more research to dig deeper into the relationship between dietary magnesium intake, body and brain magnesium levels, and cognitive skills. The study will appear in the Jan. 28 issue of the Journal Neuron.