A post-mortem study of the anatomical region differences and age-related changes on Ca and Mg levels in the human brain

Considering the mean values for the 14 regions, Mg was present at ca. 2.3-fold higher levels than Ca (mean ± sd: 527 ± 34 μg/g versus 226 ± 53 μg/g). Calcium distribution within the brain showed to be quite heterogeneous: highest levels were found in the occipital (306 ± 156 μg/g) and frontal cortex (287 ± 78 μg/g), while lowest levels were found in the medulla (186 ± 70 μg/g) and cerebellum (145 ± 42 μg/g). Higher Ca levels were found in women than in men (248 ± 59 μg/g versus 213 ± 46 μg/g; p < 0.05). A tendency for Ca levels to increase with age in all studied brain regions and in both genders was also observed. On the contrary, Mg presented a highly homogeneous distribution and seems to remain quite unchanged irrespective of aging.