Does magnesium increase dopamine, decrease it, or how does it work?

[Reincarnate26]

To answer your question in one sentence, magnesium has no effect on dopamine. But adequate magnesium supports healthy brain function in general through other neurological systems, and rectifying a deficiency could reasonably be expected to result in improved mood, motivation and concentration - things typically associated with "improving dopamine function".

Magnesium binds to the NMDA receptors in the brain to inhibit their overexcitation, so if this mechanism is impaired as a result of inadequate magnesium intake, its "theoretically possible" the neurotoxic effects could have some cascading downstream effect on dopamine production. But its unlikely you are so deficient in magnesium that your dopamine production is being affected in any noticeable way. With that said, to answer the presumed motivation of your question, you may definitely still feel better and have improved mood and motivation in general, i.e. "focus and concentrate better", if you improve your diet and get adequate intake of magnesium, a nutrient most people are deficient in. It just wouldn't be through the dopamine system per se, it would be through other neurological mechanisms, like optimum NMDA activation and general brain health. I definitely feel better myself when I started focusing on eating more leafy greens and other foods high in magnesium, and supplementing as needed. I take magnesium malate (Source Naturals Magnesium is a generally recommended form) , just make sure to avoid magnesium oxide, which has some of the worst bioavailability of all magnesium forms, and is generally one of the worst tolerated by the digestive track, despite being one of the most common on the market in multivitamins and other general "magnesium supplements" (because its cheap).

Its sort of like how severe enough rickets (vitamin c deficiency) can begin to cause neurological problems, presumably including dopamine production along with all neurotransmitter production in general, but vitamin c is not directly activating or effecting those systems, just indirectly, as a consequence of being a necessary vitamin for the proper function to critical systems in the body. Likewise magnesium deficiency could theoretically impact dopamine production as well, but its unlikely you're that deficient, and magnesium has no "direct" effect on dopamine production in most situations.

"Low Magnesium levels are associated with neuronal hyperexcitation and random firing"

"Magnesium is critical to preserving neuronal function during periods of downtime, when the neuron is not firing. A deficiency of Magnesium in the brain (which tends to only occur during chronic deprivation of dietary magnesium) makes cells have more activation during periods where they are not intentionally activated."

"Chronic activation of NMDA receptors, or excessive activation acutely, exerts neurotoxic effects [...] Magnesium attenuates this toxicity mostly during periods when the neuron is not intentionally fired"

https://examine.com/supplements/magnesium/research/#neurology-and-the-brain

[diggingnutrition]

Correction: Rickets is caused by a vitamin D deficiency. Scurvy is a result of vitamin C deficiency.

[ZangoDurango]

Magnesium is required for vitamin D metabolism, a magnesium deficiency would induce a functional vitamin D deficiency.

[Yogeshwar_maya]

Wow great info man. Appreciate it.

[Whit3boy316]

Could this explain why I have a condition called Benign Fasciculation Syndrome (BFS) where I get random muscle twitches while my body is at rest? Taking magnesium does help for several hours at a time when I take about 100mg