title: Stability of brain content of magnesium in experimental hypomagnesemia.
abstract: Magnesium is important in cerebral function. If there is a deficiency and neurological symptoms accrue, we hypothesised that Mg2+ deficiency causes neurological symptoms by decreasing the level of Mg2+ in cerebral tissue. The content of magnesium was determined in 12 brain structures in magnesium-deficient rats. Experiments were carried out for 40 days in two groups of Wistar male rats made magnesium-deficient (MD) by a well-controlled diet (50 mg of Mg2+/kg of food), and a control group (CG) rats fed normal diet (1 g of Mg2+/kg of food). At the end of the 40 days, the clinical signs of hypomagnesemia were sought in the MD rats and Mg2+ concentration levels were measured in the blood and brain. The results showed variable distribution of Mg2+ in the different brain structures, both in CG and MD rats; in the MD rats there is an important stability of global Mg2+ content of the brain. Although the global values for Mg2+ in the brain did not decline in MD rats, there was a significant decrease in Mg2+ in the brainstem. We conclude that the brain is able to maintain a stable concentration of Mg2+ during chronic hypomagnesemia, but its topographic variations could account for some of neurological signs accompanying this condition.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Poenaru
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manicom
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rouhani
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aymard
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bajenaru
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rayssiguier
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emmanouillidis
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gueux
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nkanga
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durlach
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dall'ava
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D008274:Magnesium / Q000378:metabolism*; D008275:Magnesium Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D008274:Magnesium