Erythrocyte intracellular Mg2+ concentration as an index of recognition and memory

Abstract

Magnesium (Mg2+) plays an important role in the neural system, and yet scarcely any research has quantitatively analyzed the link between endogenous Mg2+ level and memory. Using our original technique, we measured erythrocyte intracellular ionized Mg2+ concentration (RBC [Mg2+]i), which linearly correlated to recognition and spatial memory in normal aging rats. In the brain, RBC [Mg2+]i significantly correlated to hippocampus extracellular fluid Mg2+ concentration, and further correlated to hippocampal synapse density. Elevation of Mg2+ intake in aged rats demonstrated an association between RBC [Mg2+]i increase and memory recovery. The therapeutic effect of Mg2+ administration was inversely correlated to individual basal RBC [Mg2+]i. In summary, we provide a method to measure RBC [Mg2+]i, an ideal indicator of body Mg2+ level. RBC [Mg2+]i represents rodent memory performance in our study, and might further serve as a potential biomarker for clinical differential diagnosis and precise treatment of Mg2+-deficiency-associated memory decline during aging.