Magnesium is an essential mineral. It has over three hundred known roles in enzyme reactions. It is vital for nerve health, regulation of blood pressure, muscular function, and cognitive processes.
Despite its importance, the majority of Americans fail to meet recommended daily intake. Finding a highly bioavailable source further compounds the problem. Fortunately, companies like Double Wood Supplements provide Magnesium L-Threonate, a highly bioavailable form that is well-known through research to confer profound effects on cognition and general health.
It would result in a sprawling and unwieldy article, if one were to consider the vast array of benefits found to occur with Magnesium L-Threonate supplementation. Therefore, we shall be primarily concerned with it as a nootropic agent.
Memory is the foundation of cognition. Without recollection, learning is impossible. Magnesium L-Threonate was observed to enhance memory in multiple studies that explored this feature. A study on an animal model discovered enhancements in working, short, and long-term memory. The suggested mechanism of action was Magnesium L-Threonate increasing the density of synaptic structures (Slutsky, 2009).
If a nootropic has serious potency, it not only is helpful for the healthy but has the capacity to boost brain power in those afflicted with neurological problems. This is true of Magnesium L-Threonate. A study on subjects with memory deficits from neuropathic pain found that MgT supplementation prevented and restored memory deficits (Wang, 2013).
As previously mentioned, the power of this supplement appears to reside in its ability to make synapses more dense. The importance of this function is difficult to overstate. Synaptic loss is the main culprit in cognitive decline (Jack, 2015). Not only is magnesium shown to promote structural density and plasticity of synapses, it also determines which presynaptic terminals are functional (Zhou, 2015).
Considering that Magnesium L-Threonate supplementation increased synaptic density by as much as 67 percent (Slutsky, 2010), it is not a nootropic to neglect for anyone serious about preserving and boosting cognition.
One excellent source is Double Wood supplements:
References and Further Reading
Slutsky, Inna & Abumaria, Nashat & Wu, Long-Jun & Huang, Chao & Zhang, Ling & Li, Bo & Zhao, Xiang & Govindarajan, Arvind & Zhao, Ming-Gao & Zhuo, Min & Tonegawa, Susumu & Liu, Guosong. (2010). Enhancement of Learning and Memory by Elevating Brain Magnesium. Neuron. 65. 165-77. 10.1016/j.neuron.2009.12.026.
Wang J, Liu Y, Zhou LJ, Wu Y, Li F, Shen KF, Pang RP, Wei XH, Li YY, Liu XG. Magnesium L-threonate prevents and restores memory deficits associated with neuropathic pain by inhibition of TNF-α. Pain Physician. 2013 Sep-Oct;16(5):E563-75. PMID: 24077207.
C.R. Jack Jr., H.J. Wiste, S.D. Weigand, D.S. Knopman, P. Vemuri, M.M. Mielke, V. Lowe, M.L. Senjem, J.L. Gunter, M.M. Machulda, B.E. Gregg, V.S. Pankratz, W.A. Rocca, R.C. Petersen. Age, sex, and APOE epsilon4 effects on memory, brain structure, and beta-amyloid across the adult life span. JAMA Neurol., 72 (2015), pp. 511-519.
H. Zhou, G. Liu. Regulation of density of functional presynaptic terminals by local energy supply. Mol. Brain, 8 (2015), p. 42.
