Magnesium (Mg) is the fourth most abundant biological
mineral essential for good health. Neuroprotective,
anxiolytic and
antidepressant effects of
magnesium following stress and
brain injuries are well established. In present study, we analyzed the protective effects of
magnesium in rats exposed to sub-chronic noise stress.
Magnesium Chloride (MgCl2, 100 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally once daily for 15 days prior exposure to noise stress. Rats were exposed to noise stress for 4 h after administration of
magnesium for 15 days. At the end of treatment behavioral alterations were assessed. Animals were decapitated following behavioral testing and the brains were dissected out for neurochemical estimations by HPLC-EC. Improvement in noise-induced
memory deficits as assessed by novel object recognition (NOR) test and elevated plus maze (EPM) test was found in
magnesium treated rats. This improvement in noise-induced behavioral deficits following treatment with
magnesium may be attributed to a significant decrease (p < 0.01) in
dopamine (DA) and
serotonin (
5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) turnover as compared to control rats observed in present work. These results suggest that treatment with
magnesium can attenuate the noise-induced deficits and may be used as a
therapy against noise-induced neurodegeneration. Moreover an adequate amount of
magnesium in daily diet may help to develop the ability to resist against or cope up with stressful conditions encountered in daily life.