Study finds that magnesium L-threonate may impact synaptic configuration to support cognitive function during aging

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A recent study¹ found that magnesium levels may influence synaptic configuration, and that oral supplementation with magnesium L-threonate (MgT) effectively elevates brain levels of magnesium to influence cognitive health. The MgT used in the study is marketed as Magtein by ThreoTech and distributed by AIDP. The study was conducted by neuroscientists from Neurocentria and Tsinghua University.

In the study, the researchers explain that magnesium may have “varying configurations for individual dendritic branches, thus branch-specifically modulating transmission efficiency, plasticity, and coding capacity of the synapses.” Magnesium may therefore act as a memory molecule, serving as a “molecular constituent of information at dendritic branches.” Different levels of magnesium can make the synapses within individual branches optimal for different types of memory and learning. For example, high levels, make conditions more favorable for the encoding of information during learning while low levels are more favorable for holding information critical for memory.

“Reversible fluctuation of Mg2+ between low and high levels causes the configurational transition, which may contribute to the dynamic processes of information storing and erasing at a dendritic branch as discussed above. Therefore, intracellular Mg2+ may act as a modulator of branch-specific information turnover, behaving like a ‘memory molecule,’” write the researchers. This may have implications on aging and neurodegeneration, with magnesium supplementation potentially slowing the decline of neurodegeneration.

In animal subjects, the researchers observed that supplementation with MgT elevated brain magnesium levels, and was associated with a reduction in the percentage of synapses with low and high postsynaptic density and a higher percentage of synapses with medium postsynaptic density, suggesting that elevated magnesium levels impacted synaptic configuration. There is an inverse relationship between density and strength of synapses, with higher densities being weaker but having higher plasticity and coding capacity while low density, and strong synapses are more rigid and therefore less plastic. These two extremes relate to learning and long-term memory, respectively. Supplementation with MgT may therefore increase the quality and quality of the weaker, more adaptive synaptic connections.

Researchers also observed that older mice given MgT performed better in water maze tests, compared to control, indicating improved learning and memory.

Reference

1. Zhou, H.; Bi, G.Q.; Liu, G. Intracellular magnesium optimizes transmission efficiency and plasticity of hippocampal synapses by reconfiguring their connectivity. Nature Communications. 2024, 15, 3406. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47571-3