# Magnesium and the Brain: A Focus on Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration **Authors:** Jeanette A. M. Maier, Laura Locatelli, Giorgia Fedele, Alessandra Cazzaniga, André Mazur PMC · DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010223 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2022-12-23 ## TL;DR This paper reviews how magnesium balance affects brain health, linking its disruption to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. ## Contribution The paper provides a narrative review connecting magnesium imbalance to specific neurodegenerative disorders. ## Key findings - Magnesium deficiency contributes to systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation. - Disrupted magnesium balance is linked to multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. ## Abstract Magnesium (Mg) is involved in the regulation of metabolism and in the maintenance of the homeostasis of all the tissues, including the brain, where it harmonizes nerve signal transmission and preserves the integrity of the blood–brain barrier. Mg deficiency contributes to systemic low-grade inflammation, the common denominator of most diseases. In particular, neuroinflammation is the hallmark of neurodegenerative disorders. Starting from a rapid overview on the role of magnesium in the brain, this narrative review provides evidences linking the derangement of magnesium balance with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. ## Linked entities - **Diseases:** multiple sclerosis (MONDO:0005301) ## Full-text entities - **Genes:** Tff2 (trefoil factor 2 (spasmolytic protein 1)) [NCBI Gene 21785] {aka SP, mSP}, Nfkb1 (nuclear factor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells 1, p105) [NCBI Gene 18033] {aka NF-KB1, NF-kappaB, NF-kappaB1, p105, p50, p50/p105}, Ptgds (prostaglandin D2 synthase (brain)) [NCBI Gene 19215] {aka 21kDa, L-PGDS, PGD2, PGDS, PGDS2, Ptgs3}, Slc41a1 (solute carrier family 41, member 1) [NCBI Gene 98396] {aka B230315F01Rik}, Nos1 (nitric oxide synthase 1) [NCBI Gene 24598] {aka bNOS}, Trpm7 (transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 7) [NCBI Gene 679906] {aka Chak, LTrpC-7, Ltrpc7, Trp-plik}, APP (amyloid beta precursor protein) [NCBI Gene 351] {aka AAA, ABETA, ABPP, AD1, APPI, CTFgamma}, MAPT (microtubule associated protein tau) [NCBI Gene 4137] {aka DDPAC, FTD1, FTDP-17, MAPTL, MSTD, MTBT1}, Il17a (interleukin 17A) [NCBI Gene 16171] {aka Ctla-8, Ctla8, IL-17, IL-17A, Il17}, Grin1 (glutamate receptor, ionotropic, NMDA1 (zeta 1)) [NCBI Gene 14810] {aka GluN1, GluRdelta1, GluRzeta1, M100174, NMD-R1, NMDAR1}, IL17A (interleukin 17A) [NCBI Gene 3605] {aka CTLA-8, CTLA8, IL-17, IL-17A, IL17, ILA17}, Snca (synuclein, alpha) [NCBI Gene 20617] {aka NACP, alpha-Syn, alphaSYN}, TRPM7 (transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 7) [NCBI Gene 54822] {aka ALSPDC, CHAK, CHAK1, LTRPC7, LTrpC-7, TRP-PLIK}, SLC41A1 (solute carrier family 41 member 1) [NCBI Gene 254428] {aka MgtE, NPHPL2}, TNF (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 7124] {aka DIF, IMD127, TNF-alpha, TNFA, TNFSF2, TNLG1F}, NOS2 (nitric oxide synthase 2) [NCBI Gene 4843] {aka HEP-NOS, INOS, NOS, NOS2A}, NTRK2 (neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 2) [NCBI Gene 4915] {aka DEE58, EIEE58, GP145-TrkB, OBHD, TRKB, trk-B}, MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) [NCBI Gene 2475] {aka FRAP, FRAP1, FRAP2, RAFT1, RAPT1, SKS}, Mme (membrane metallo endopeptidase) [NCBI Gene 17380] {aka 6030454K05Rik, CALLA, CD10, NEP, SFE}, Aqp4 (aquaporin 4) [NCBI Gene 11829] {aka WCH4}, Cldn5 (claudin 5) [NCBI Gene 12741] {aka MBEC1, Tmvcf}, IL1B (interleukin 1 beta) [NCBI Gene 3553] {aka IL-1, IL1-BETA, IL1F2, IL1beta}, BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic factor) [NCBI Gene 627] {aka ANON2, BULN2}, Mtor (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) [NCBI Gene 56717] {aka 2610315D21Rik, FRAP, FRAP2, Frap1, RAFT1, RAPT1}, Angpt2 (angiopoietin 2) [NCBI Gene 11601] {aka Agpt2, Ang-2, Ang2}, Tnf (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 24835] {aka RATTNF, TNF-alpha, Tnfa}, IL1A (interleukin 1 alpha) [NCBI Gene 3552] {aka IL-1 alpha, IL-1A, IL1, IL1-ALPHA, IL1F1}, CREB1 (cAMP responsive element binding protein 1) [NCBI Gene 1385] {aka CREB, CREB-1}, Gabrg2 (gamma-aminobutyric acid type A receptor, subunit gamma 2) [NCBI Gene 14406] {aka GABAA-R, Gabrg-2, gamma2}, TAC1 (tachykinin precursor 1) [NCBI Gene 6863] {aka Hs.2563, NK2, NKNA, NPK, TAC2}, NFKBIA (NFKB inhibitor alpha) [NCBI Gene 4792] {aka EDAID2, IKBA, MAD-3, NFKBI}, Trpm7 (transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily M, member 7) [NCBI Gene 58800] {aka 2310022G15Rik, 4833414K03Rik, 5033407O22Rik, CHAK, CHAK1, LTrpC-7}, Bdnf (brain derived neurotrophic factor) [NCBI Gene 12064], Bdnf (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) [NCBI Gene 24225], SMAD2 (SMAD family member 2) [NCBI Gene 4087] {aka CHTD8, JV18, JV18-1, LDS6, MADH2, MADR2}, Nos2 (nitric oxide synthase 2, inducible) [NCBI Gene 18126] {aka MAC-NOS, NOS-II, Nos-2, Nos2a, i-NOS, iNOS}, NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 4790] {aka CVID12, EBP-1, KBF1, NF-kB, NF-kB1, NF-kappa-B1}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, Cav1 (caveolin 1, caveolae protein) [NCBI Gene 12389] {aka Cav, Cav-1}, Nos3 (nitric oxide synthase 3) [NCBI Gene 24600] {aka eNos} - **Diseases:** autonomic instability (MESH:D043171), pain (MESH:D010146), amyloid (MESH:C000718787), preeclampsia (MESH:D011225), dementia (MESH:D003704), neuroblastoma (MESH:D009447), metabolic failure (MESH:D051437), rhythm disruptions (MESH:D019958), atrophy of the brain (MESH:C566985), spastic paraplegia (MESH:D010264), insulin resistance (MESH:D007333), diabetes type 2 (MESH:D003924), tetanus (MESH:D013746), vision loss (MESH:D014786), Inflammatory (MESH:D007249), intestinal dysfunction (MESH:D007410), Magnesium deficiency (MESH:D008275), cerebral ischemia (MESH:D002545), spasms (MESH:D013035), rigidity (MESH:D009127), age-associated disorders (MESH:D008569), diabetes (MESH:D003920), demyelination (MESH:D003711), rest tremor (MESH:D014202), major (MESH:D004830), postural instability (MESH:D054972), involuntary body movements (MESH:D020820), cerebral edema (MESH:D001929), Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases (MESH:D010300), mitochondrial (MESH:D028361), neuro-COVID (MESH:D000086382), neurotoxic (MESH:D020258), weakness (MESH:D018908), hypoxia (MESH:D000860), circadian dysfunction (MESH:D021081), ischemic injury (MESH:D017202), Neurodegeneration (MESH:D019636), BBB dysfunction (MESH:C536830), brain (MESH:D001927), injury to people or property (MESH:C000719191), hyperinsulinemia (MESH:D006946), traumatic brain injuries (MESH:D000070642), damage (MESH:D020263), motor dysfunction (MESH:D000068079), tissue injury (MESH:D017695), vascular dementia (MESH:D015140), mood disorders (MESH:D019964), obese (MESH:D009765), death (MESH:D003643), cerebral palsy (MESH:D002547), Multiple Sclerosis (MESH:D009103), Neuroinflammation (MESH:D000090862), Alzheimer's (MESH:D000544), axonal degeneration (MESH:D009410), glucose intolerance (MESH:D018149), trauma (MESH:D014947), depression (MESH:D003866), epileptiform events (MESH:D014277), disorders of sleep (MESH:D012893), brain damage (MESH:D001925) - **Species:** Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (no rank) [taxon 2697049], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly, species) [taxon 7227] - **Mutations:** p.A350V - **Cell lines:** BV2 — Mus musculus (Mouse), Transformed cell line (CVCL_0182), SH-SY5Y — Homo sapiens (Human), Neuroblastoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0019), PC12 — Rattus norvegicus (Rat), Rat adrenal gland pheochromocytoma, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0481) ## Full text _Full body text omitted from this summary view._ Fetch the complete paper as Markdown: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC9820677/full.md ## Figures 3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC9820677/full.md ## References 131 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC9820677/full.md --- Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC9820677