Study supports magnesium threonate potential for cognitive health
The study used the commercial ClariMem product by Neurocentria, Inc., and Neurocentria funded the study and the product is formulated with the Magtein branded magnesium threonate ingredient (distributed by AIDP).
Guosong Liu, MD, PhD, Professor at Tsinghua University (Beijing), CEO of Neurocentria, and lead author on the new study, said: “The loss of cognitive function is one of the greatest health fears of older adults. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that more than 16 million people live with it. Cognitive impairment adversely affects the quality of our daily lives, from stealing our memories to robbing us of basic daily physical activity.”
“The current study demonstrates the safety and efficacy of Magnesium Threonate (Magtein), a compound designed to help magnesium to cross the blood brain barrier so that it can increase brain synapse density on restoration of certain cognitive abilities. This study highlights the importance of increasing neuronal intracellular magnesium, a key intermediary of synapse density control, for improving cognitive abilities in older adults,” added Dr Liu.
Study details
Writing in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Dr Liu and his co-authors explain that they tested ClariMem’s potential to increase synaptic density in brain regions critical for executive function and memory, including the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus. They recruited 44 men or women aged between 50 and 70 with self-reported memory loss and sleep disorder, and randomly assigned them to receive 25 mg of magnesium threonate per kilogram per day, which equates to a daily dose of 1.5 grams per day for people between 50 and 70 kg, and 2 grams per day to people between 70 and 100 kg.
Cognitive ability was evaluated at the start of the study and again after six and 12 weeks in four cognitive domains: executive function, working memory, attention, and episodic memory by administration of the Trail Making, Digit Span, Flanker, and Face-Name tests, respectively.
Results showed that the magnesium threonate group had an average increase of 10% in Trail Making Test – Part B (TMT-B) speed, such that their speed was close to that of their age-matched controls.
On the other hand, there were no significant differences between the ClariMem group and placebo for working memory, attention, and episodic memory.
“The current study demonstrated efficacy of [ClariMem], a compound designed to increase brain synapse density, on restoration of cognitive abilities,” wrote the researchers. “This study highlights the importance of increasing neuronal intracellular magnesium, a key intermediary of synapse density control, on improving cognitive abilities in older adults.”
Source: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Volume 49, Number 4, Pages 971-990, doi: 10.3233/JAD-150538
“Efficacy and Safety of MMFS-01, a Synapse Density Enhancer, for Treating Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial”
Authors: G. Liu, J.G. Weinger, Z-L. Lu, F. Xue, S. Sadeghpour
