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Mice pass surplus doses of a novel magnesium chemical compound had better working memory , long - terminal figure retentiveness and great learnedness power .

Before you go popping heavy dosage of magnesium , however , know that much more examination is needed . Though rodent brains work similarly to ours , fauna studies do not always forecast what will happen in humans .

Digitally generated image of brain filled with multicolored particles.

" If MgT is shown to be dependable and effective in humans , these consequence may have a pregnant impact on public health , " say Guosong Liu , director of the Center for Learning and Memory at Tsinghua University in Beijing , China .

Magnesium is an essential element found in some fruit , spinach , and other dark leafy greens . It is known to be important for the resistant system . eat up less than 400 milligrams a day and you may be at outstanding peril for allergy , bronchial asthma and heart disease .

The ingredient was shownbrain - boostingabilities in earlier work using cultured brainiac cells . But the new compound — magnesium - 50 - threonate ( MgT ) — was tested in animal and found to be effective .

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" We found that elevation of brain Mg led to meaning enhancement of spacial and associative store in both untried and senior rats , " Liu said .

In vernal and elderly rats , MgT increased plasticity among synapses , the connections among neuron , and boosted the density of synapses in the hippocampus , a critical genius region for learning and memory .

" Half the universe of the industrialise area has a atomic number 12 deficit , which increases with ageing , " Liu order . " If normal or even eminent levels of magnesium can be maintained , we may be able-bodied to importantly slow age - related loss of cognitive mathematical function and perhaps forbid or treat diseases that bear upon cognitive function . "

A stock illustration of astrocytes (in purple) interacting with neurons (in blue)

The research is detailed in the Jan. 28 exit of the journal Neuron . financing was provided by the National Institutes of Health , the National Basic Research Program of China and other founding .

Liu , a former MIT professor , is cofounder of Magceutics , a California - base company developing drugs for prevention and discussion of old age - dependent storage decline and Alzheimer ’s disease .

A reconstruction of neurons in the brain in rainbow colors

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Discover "10 Weird things you never knew about your brain" in issue 166 of How It Works magazine.

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