Effect of chronic administration of Acorus calamus on electrical activity and regional monoamine levels in rat brain

Effect of chronic administration of ethanolic extract of Acorus calamus (AC) was studied on spontaneous electrical activity and monoamine levels of brain. AC (200 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) was administered orally to adult Holtzman strain rats for 14 days. In AC treated rats, electrographic recording revealed that there was increase in alpha activity together with an increase in norepinephrine level in the cerebral cortex but a decrease in the midbrain and cerebellum. Serotonin level was increased in the cerebral cortex but decreased in the midbrain. Similarly, dopamine level was increased in the caudate nucleus and midbrain but decreased in the cerebellum. Thus AC seems to exert its depressive action by changing electrical activity and by differentially altering brain monoamine levels in different brain regions.