Evaluation of treatment of neuronal damage with extracranial magnetic field in a rabbit model of stroke

Abstract EN

Brain neuronal disorders have the least outcomes to therapeutic response due to their complex and delicate integration and lack of drug response upon damage in addition to difficult surgical approach to CNS.

These properties of brain cortical diseases elaborate more trials of finding an effective and safe alternative treatment.

Making a full use of the high responsiveness of neurons to the electrical currents induced with magnetic fields allows an appreciable therapeutic approach to be evaluated.

In a trial of assessment of the neuronal repair effects of a time varying external magnetic field, rabbit model of stroke was arranged with 10 minutes occluding the left middle cerebral artery of the anesthetized rabbit.

A follow up with right hind limb spasticity, EEG and eosin histopathological assessment of neuronal reconnections in response to applying a 1000 Hz and 1000 gauss magnetic flux density provided by an external solenoid magnet in comparison with untreated control group along 30 days of daily applying the field on the left frontal lobe over the scalp for 30 minutes.

There was a significant reduction of spasticity score from 2.76 +/- 0.1 to 1.33 +/- 0.2 obtained with extracranial magnetic stimulation ECM; P< 0.05 as compared with untreated group.

Similar improvements in EEG criteria were also recorded in ECM treated group in form of an increase in EEG amplitude from 4 microV to 32 microV whereas brain frequency over the affected area had significantly increased from 2 Hz to 9 Hz at P< 0.05.

Histopathological assessment of the number of neuronal reconnections revealed 355 +/- 21 per high power field in comparison with just 105 +/- 19 in untreated group.

In conclusion there was a promising neuronal repair enhancement by applying a suitable extracranial magnetic field that could improve the therapeutic outcomes of different treatments.

Keywords: Stroke, extracranial magnetic stimulation ECM, neurogenesis