Magnesium Related to Mood and Feelings of Unease

Low magnesium intake modulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and plays a role in feelings of unease, reports a recent study. The HPA axis is a neuroendocrine feedback loop that regulates responses to stress. In the stress response, corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is released from the hypothalamus, which triggers release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary, which then stimulates the adrenal gland to release cortisol. The adrenal gland secretes cortisol, the primary stress response hormone, epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine, among other hormones.

Mice in this study were fed either a standard diet or a diet deficient in magnesium. The mice were evaluated for behavior related to uneasiness using maze tests and hyponeophagia tests, in which hungry mice are fed in a new environment with bright lights. The mice were also assessed for CRH and ACTH, and responses to mood-enhancing medications.

The study demonstrated that compared to the mice fed the standard diet, the mice fed the magnesium-deficient diet showed behavior related to uneasiness in the behavioral tests. The mice fed the magnesium deficient diet also had increased translation of CRH in the hypothalamus and plasma levels of ACTH, indicating an enhanced HPA set-point. Additionally, mood-enhancing compounds mitigated these changes in behavior and the HPA axis. Functional mapping of neuron activity in the brain showed that the mice on the low magnesium diet had hyper-excitability in the area of the hypothalamus that secretes CRH. This was also mitigated with calming medications.

The researchers concluded that based on this mouse model, magnesium-deficient diets can enhance behavior related to uneasiness, and dysregulation of the HPA axis may contribute to this behavior.

Reference:

Sartori SB, Whittle N, Hetzenauer A, Singewald N. Magnesium deficiency induces anxiety and HPA axis dysregulation: Modulation by therapeutic drug treatment. Neuropharmacology. 2011 Aug 4. Published Online Ahead of Print.