Study shows supplementation with a magnesium-rich marine mineral blend significantly reduced the age-associated changes in pattern separation task by middle-aged animals Study shows supplementation with a magnesium-rich marine mineral blend significantly reduced the age-associated changes in pattern separation task by middle-aged animals Recent study shows supplementation with a magnesium-rich marine mineral blend aids in brain health by significantly reducing the age-associated changes in pattern separation task by middle-aged animals. EK Crowley, S Grabrucker, CM Long-Smith, A Stack, DM O’Gorman & Y Nolan Published: Journal of Medicinal Foods (2021) 1-6 Study Background: Middle-age is a critical period where cognitive decline can be targeted with lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise. Research shows that dietary factors play a crucial role in brain health and cognitive function and may help protect against cognitive impairment. A reduction in pattern separation ability is frequently observed in healthy older individuals, where similar but not identical experiences are distinguished from one another. This is a feature of age-associated, mild-cognitive impairment and often presents during middle-age. In the absence of effective treatments, novel dietary approaches to lessen age-related cognitive impairment are essential. Aim: Magnesium has been shown to enhance learning and memory, and reverse cognitive impairment. Magnesium deficiency is associated with impaired memory formation. This study was designed to evaluate if supplementation with a magnesium-rich marine mineral blend (MMB, a 50:50 mix of Aquamin F: Aquamin Mg) could influence age-related cognitive impairment in middle-aged rats. Study Details: Young (12 week) and middle-aged (16-month) rats were maintained for 4 weeks on either a control diet or MMB supplementation before undergoing a series of behavioural assessments. Results: MMB supplementation had no overall effects on body weight, food intake or general locomotor activity. The figure on the bottom left shows how much less middle-aged animals move as compared to younger animals. This figure also indicates how movement in the arenas was measured. Supplementation did not affect performance in behavioural tasks that assessed working memory and recognition memory such as the Y-maze, and open field experiments. Pattern separation is a key component of episodic memory e.g. parking your car in a shopping centre car park. A similar but not the same spot each time. In this study, middle-aged animals demonstrated a significant impairment in pattern separation, compared to young animals. This impairment was reversed with 4 weeks of MMB supplementation. Conclusions: Supplementation with MMB significantly reduced the age-associated changes in pattern separation task by middle-aged animals. This is of interest as an improvement in this type of cognition requires a unique brain plasticity or flexibility and neurogenesis (the new growth of neurons). Find the full study HERE. To find out more about work being done by STAUBER, visit our website: https://www.stauberusa.com To learn more about Aquamin Mg, visit out Aquamin page. Share SEARCH STAUBER News Recent Posts Encouraging Evidence Supports Pomegranates May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease Study shows supplementation with a magnesium-rich marine mineral blend significantly reduced the age-associated changes in pattern separation task by middle-aged animals Proven Gut Health Benefits of Aquamin The Casualties of a Tech-Based Life and How Memoreyez Can Help WIT researcher wins prestigious award for macular pigment research for vision health and function and his more recent work on macular pigment as a biomarker for brain nutrition and its connection to cognitive function and Alzheimer’s disease About Partners New Customers Services Products News Careers Contact Us Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Terms of Use