Magnesium deficiency over generations in rats with special references to the pathogenesis of the parkinsonism-dementia complex and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis of Guam

Parkinsonism–dementia complex (PDC) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are fatal neurological diseases. The incidence on Guam was very high between 1950 and 1965 but decreased dramatically after 1965. It is thought that drinking water containing low levels of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropathology 2006-04, Vol.26 (2), p.115-128
Main Authors: Oyanagi, Kiyomitsu, Kawakami, Emiko, Kikuchi-Horie, Kae, Ohara, Kazuhiko, Ogata, Kentaro, Takahama, Sachiko, Wada, Manabu, Kihira, Tameko, Yasui, Masayuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - pathology
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - physiopathology
Animals
Brain - pathology
Calcium - deficiency
Dementia - pathology
Dementia - physiopathology
Diet
Female
Guam
magnesium
Magnesium Deficiency - pathology
Magnesium Deficiency - physiopathology
Male
multigeneration
Nerve Degeneration - etiology
Nerve Degeneration - pathology
Neurons - pathology
Parkinson Disease - pathology
Parkinson Disease - physiopathology
parkinsonism-dementia
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Rats
Rats, Wistar
substantia nigra
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Summary:Parkinsonism–dementia complex (PDC) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are fatal neurological diseases. The incidence on Guam was very high between 1950 and 1965 but decreased dramatically after 1965. It is thought that drinking water containing low levels of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), and high levels of aluminum and of a plant excitatory neurotoxin are involved in the pathogenesis of these diseases. The present experiment was performed in rats that were exposed to low Ca and/or Mg intake over two generations, thus simulating the conditions of human life on Guam, where several generations live continuously in the same environment. Significant loss of dopaminergic neurons was identified exclusively in the substantia nigra in 1‐year‐old rats that had been exposed continuously to low Mg intake (one‐fifth of the normal level) over generations. The present study suggests that low Mg intake over generations may be involved in the pathogenesis of substantia nigra degeneration in humans.
ISSN:0919-6544
1440-1789
DOI:10.1111/j.1440-1789.2006.00672.x