The effect of alternative current (magnetic field) on the Pentylenetetrazol-induced epileptiform seizures in wistar rats

According to the results of some experimental and clinical investigations magnetic fields at some densities can affect in many biological and physiological processes such as brain activities. This study was performed to investigate the effects of an alternative current (AC) magnetic field (MF) on the susceptibility, severity, and durations of Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epileptiform convulsions in wistar rats. The magnetic field was generated using a solenoid and calibrated with a teslameter. Male wistar rats (3 month, 250-300g), were exposed to a 50 HZ magnetic field at densities of 5 and 10 millitesla (mt) in three periods of life: 1) In embryonic period for 30 min./day. Then these rats received intraperitoneal injections of PTZ. 2) After birth for 4 weeks (30 min per day, 7 days per week). These rats also received PTZ injections at the end of the 4th week. 3) Adults, in two groups, chronic and acute: a) In chronic group, rats were exposed for 5 weeks (30 min per day, 4 days per week) to MF (5 mt), and at the end of this period PTZ injections were performed. b) In acute group, rats were received PTZ injections simultaneously under magnetic field exposure (5 and 10 mt). All above groups and controls received intraperitoneal (IP) injections of PTZ (in three stages, 25mg/kg in each stage, with 15 min. intervals), if rats showed generalized (tonic-clonic) convulsions, injections were stopped. For seizures evaluation, latent periods and durations of each form of convulsion were calculated. No significant differences in severity and susceptibility of seizures and epileptiform convulsions were observed between control and experimental groups. Only some groups showed a significant decrease in latent periods of convulsions. These findings indicate that under the conditions examined, severity and susceptibility to PTZ induced epileptiform seizures are not affected by exposure to the above mentioned magnetic fields. Taken together with previous data, this suggests that if magnetic fields do alter neuronal activity, the effect is likely to be extremely subtle.