Altered seizure susceptibility after high-frequency transcranial magnetic stimulation in rats.
The long-term effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on the susceptibility of amygdala kindling was studied. Two weeks after a single high-frequency rTMS train (120 A/micros, 20 Hz for 3 s), the rats had a 55% higher threshold for induction of epileptic afterdischarges compared with sham-treated or control rats. However, subsequent kindling revealed no difference between rTMS-treated and control rats. Our data suggest that a single rTMS train has long-term effects on the neuronal excitability. These effects may be anticonvulsant and therefore support the safety of rTMS in clinical use.
Ebert
U
U
Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany. uebert@pharma.tiho-hannover.de
Ziemann
U
U
D000679:Amygdala / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena; D005260:Female; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000503:physiopathology*