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The average Mg content in the CNS tissues, as well as visceral organs except for spleen, of MS patients showed a significantly lower value than that seen in control cases.

The most marked reduction of Mg content was observed in CNS white matter including demyelinated plaques of MS samples.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2353 ... t=Abstract


THX1138

I also posted this study under the thread "Some Interesting Connections." I think this may be due the elevated levels of homocysteine found in patients with MS.

MS patients have elevated levels of homocysteine due to an inability to properly metabolize vitamin B12. Here is one study on this.

In the following study published in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience the researchers found high homocysteine and low vitamin B12 in patients with MS and concluded there is a “significant relationship” between MS and vitamin B12 deficiency.


Serum vitamin B12, folate, and homocysteine levels and their association with clinical and electrophysiological parameters in multiple sclerosis.
Kocer B, Engur S, Ak F, Yilmaz M. 2009. J Clin Neurosci. 16(3):399-403. doi: 10.1016/j.jocn.2008.05.015. Epub 2009 Jan 18.

“…Homocysteine levels were high in patients with MS but were within normal limits in the control group…Thus, we found a significant relationship between MS and vitamin B12 deficiency…”


Homocysteine causes a depletion of "intracellular" magnesium.


Researchers in the following study discovered that homocysteine (HC) causes a depletion of intracellular free magnesium by interfering with magnesium (Mg2+) metabolism. The study authors concluded, “The present findings are compatible with the hypothesis that an increased serum HC concentration causes abnormal metabolism of Mg2+…”

Extracellular magnesium regulates effects of vitamin B6, B12 and folate on homocysteinemia-induced depletion of intracellular free magnesium ions in canine cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells: possible relationship to [Ca2+]i, atherogenesis and stroke.
Wenyan L, Zheng T, Wang J, Altura BT, Altura BM. 1999. Neurosci Lett. 19 274 (2):83-6 10553943.


“The present findings are compatible with the hypothesis that an increased serum HC concentration causes abnormal metabolism of Mg2+ in cerebral VSMC, thus priming these cells for HC-induced atherogenesis, cerebral vasospasm and stroke.”



Here is an additional study that found MS patients had significantly lower levels of magnesium (Mg) in erythrocytes (red blood cells), but plasma levels were normal.

Magnesium concentration in plasma and erythrocytes in MS.
Stelmasiak Z, Solski J, Jakubowska B. 1995. Acta Neurol Scand. 92(1):109-11.


“…A statistically significant decrease…of Mg concentration in erythrocytes and no changes in plasma of MS patients were found…”

magnesium may be low in ms but:
- this test in erythrocytes is very expensive (as expensive as mri scan) so it's not popular
- there are some studies that mg supplementation has a very low impact on mg level in erythrocytes, I recall another study about mg in erythrocytes, mg level was rather a marker of inflammation(or some other wrong thing going on it the body) than mg deficiency.