  We review a recent investigation of the effect of magnetic catalysis of mass
generation in holographic Yang-Mills theories. We aim at a self-contained and
pedagogical form of the review. We provide a brief field theory background and
review the basics of holographic flavordynamics. The main part of the review
investigates the influence of external magnetic field on holographic gauge
theories dual to the D3/D5-- and D3/D7-- brane intersections. Among the
observed phenomena are the spontaneous breaking of a global internal symmetry,
Zeeman splitting of the energy levels and the existence of pseudo Goldstone
modes. An analytic derivation of the Gell-Mann--Oaks--Renner relation for the
D3/D7 set up is reviewed. In the D3/D5 case the pseudo Goldstone modes satisfy
non-relativistic dispersion relation. The studies reviewed confirm the
universal nature of the magnetic catalysis of mass generation.
