While
magnesium deficiency is common and its effects well known on the nervous system, very few studies has been dedicated to the efficiency of
magnesium replacement treatments on the central nervous system. In this study, the effects of
oral administration of
magnesium salts of acetyl-taurinate on the central manifestations of
magnesium deficiency is described in rats submitted to low-
magnesium diet and in a murine model of
Alzheimer's disease. We tested the effect of ATA Mg®, a
salt combining
magnesium and
taurine, on the hippocampus, a critical component of cognition. 7-10-month-old rats were submitted to dietary
magnesium deprivation for 64 days. The effect of
magnesium deficiency was studied in ex vivo hippocampal slices. We showed that long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission in the hippocampus was significantly improved by the
oral administration of ATA Mg® at a dose of 50 mg/kg bw/day, which is comparable to the recommended dose in humans. 7-10-months-old transgenic APP/PS1 mice, a model of
Alzheimer's disease, received ATA Mg® during 24 days at a dose of 700 mg/kg bw/day which is the dose used in previous studies demonstrating the positive effect of
magnesium supplementation. We showed that long-term potentiation was significantly improved in the treated mice. Moreover, the expression of NR2B subunit of
NMDA receptors, known to be involved in synaptic plasticity, was significantly increased in the hippocampus. These results demonstrate the ability of ATA Mg® to improve the symptoms related to chronic
magnesium deficiency at the level of the hippocampus suggesting its bioavailability and effectiveness in reaching the central nervous system.