Low-frequency rTMS prevents chronic epileptic seizure

Although increasing evidence indicates that low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), an emerging technology for neural regulation, has antiepileptic effects, the mechanism remains unclear. Prof. Xiaoming Wang and team from the Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, China investigated the influence of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic simulation on changes in several non-linear dynamic electroencephalographic parameters in rats with chronic epilepsy and explored the mechanism underlying repetitive transcranial magnetic simulation-induced antiepileptic effects. In their study, an epilepsy model was established using lithium-pilocarpine intraperitoneal injection into adult Sprague-Dawley rats, which were then treated with repetitive transcranial magnetic simulation for 7 consecutive days. Non-linear electroencephalographic parameters were obtained from the rats at 7, 14, and 28 days post-stimulation. Results showed significantly lower mean correlation-dimension and Kolmogorov-entropy values for stimulated rats than for non-stimulated rats. Low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic simulation has suppressive effects on electrical activity in epileptic rats, thus explaining its effectiveness in treating epilepsy. EurekAlert