Also, for the mice experiment, the level of salt administered was extremely high.
Sadly, this is a common problem with such studies and greatly limits their application. Honestly, if this is the case, I would not conclude that there is any effect on humans unless epidemiologic data can be presented.
I am saying this as a researcher in food toxicology now.
Anyhow, your post is well-written and the study is for sure interresting - thanks!
I completely agree with you @sco. I had issues with the 'extreme' level of salt administered to the test subjects too. However, the idea, that even a longer term consumption of high-salt level could still trigger the decline of the brain cells is still a worrying thought. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.