Earlier this year, Psychology Today came out with a news story regarding the potential link to decreased magnesium and clinical depression (“Magnesium for Depression,” n.d.). This is huge news for potential treatments for depression, as despite the large amount of people that depression affects, the current treatments available are limited due to efficacy, cost, undesirable side effects, and the fact that most antidepressants only result in 50% of patients achieving remission for a short period of time (Tarleton, Littenberg, MacLean, Kennedy, & Daley, 2017). The fact that increasing magnesium levels could possibly mediate or eliminate depression symptoms at a neurologic level gives hope to the reality of establishing better and more effective treatments in the near future.
Quite possibly the greatest link between magnesium levels and depression lies in the effects magnesium has on voltage gated Ca2+ channels in the presynaptic terminal. It is believed that magnesium inhibits voltage gated Ca2+ channels from opening which in turn decreases the amount of neurotransmitters released from the synapse (Takeda, 2003). When magnesium levels are low, voltage gated Ca2+ are no longer inhibited, resulting in a large influx of Ca2+ and an abundant release of neurotransmitters. This is specifically detrimental in the case of the neurotransmitter glutamate; if excess glutamate is released from the presynaptic terminal, this could result in over excitation of neighboring neurons that could ultimately lead to decreased synaptic function or possibly even cell death (Tarleton et al., 2017).
The study reported by Psychology Today aimed to study the efficacy and safety of magnesium and to better understand how magnesium plays a larger role in depression (Tarleton et al., 2017). Their results indicated that the administration of magnesium supplements did have a statistically significant positive effect on depression symptoms (Tarleton et al., 2017). Over the course of the trial, average depression scores dropped significantly, bringing the mean from moderately depressed to mildly depressed. However, the positive effect felt from the magnesium supplements had completely diminished within the two weeks after stopping treatment (Tarleton et al., 2017). While this study suggests that the role of magnesium in treating depression is significant, further research should be conducted in order to fully understand the actions of magnesium; if we can completely understand the function at a synaptic level, perhaps we could create a more effective long term treatment for depression (Takeda, 2003).
Works Cited
Magnesium for Depression. (n.d.). Retrieved December 1, 2018, from
Takeda, A. (2003). Manganese action in brain function. Brain Research Reviews, 41(1), 79–87.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-0173(02)00234-5
Tarleton, E. K., Littenberg, B., MacLean, C. D., Kennedy, A. G., & Daley, C. (2017). Role of
magnesium supplementation in the treatment of depression: A randomized clinical trial. PLoS ONE, 12(6). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180067
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