An effective intervention for many hyperactive children, besides methyl- phenidate and other psycho-stimulant drugs, is the use of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and magnesium (Mg). However, no direct study has been published to confirm this assumption.Īttention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism (autistic spectrum disorders, ASD pervasive developmental disorders, PDD) are different neurological disorders which have been described for many years, and in which the involvement of a deficient magnesium pathway could be suspected given the presence of active transport for such cations through transient receptor potential melastatin (TRPM) channels in the brain.ĪDHD is the most common neurobehavioral disorder presenting for treatment in youth.Ĭhildren with ADHD are “a group at risk” as far as their further emotional and social development and educational possibilities are concerned ( Spencer et al., 2002). Some evidence indicates that magnesium could also be involved in neurological diseases such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism. Magnesium depletion is known to be associated with many clinical diseases including hypo- calcemia, hypokalemia, cardiac arrhythmias, neuromuscular excitability, hypertension, athero- sclerosis, and osteoporosis. It is also responsible for the maintenance of the trans- membrane gradients of sodium and potassium.
Its main action is to regulate enzyme activity, to control the activity of various calcium and potassium channels, and to promote membrane stabilization. Magnesium is the second most abundant intra- cellular cation in the body.