The role of magnesium in the pathophysiology and treatment of stroke and other neurological injuries

Abstract

Although there are many compounds that may be beneficial for the treatment of various neurological injuries (ischemic or traumatic) there is but one, Mg2+, that has had a rich and controversial history. The physiological investigation of the role of Mg2+ in medicine has had a long history. However, it might come as a surprise that the history of the role of Mg2+ in the pathophysiology of neurological injuries is well over two decades old. The focus of this chapter is to review the available literature on the effects of Mg2 + on the pathophysiology and behavioral recovery from neurological injuries. In addition, data from our laboratory will be presented that has investigated the effects of Mg2 + therapy on recovery of function in the traumatically injured brain.