Effect of extremely low frequency magnetic fields exposure in hemiparkinson disease rat model

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative illness which affects dopaminergic neurons in the substance nigra pars compacta (SNc) at the mesencephalic area. It is characterized by abnormal movements with progressive loss of motor and cognitive skills. Up to date there is no completely effective treatment. This is why it is very important to establish therapeutic tools to alleviate or at least retard the expression of the PD symptoms. One of the most novel strategies is electromagnetic stimulation of extremely low frequency, whose effects on PD have not been well studied. Objective: The main purpose of this study was to evaluate behavioral effects of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (MF) on a rat model of hemiparkinsonism. Material and methods: In this study we injected 6-hidroxidopamine into the SNc to lesion the nigrostriatal pathway of the right side of Wistar rat's brain. After the lesion, the animals were stimulated with MF (60 Hz, 2.4 mT) daily during 2 hours for 2 months. Changes in posture, locomotion and equilibrium were every 15 days measured. Results: The main results showed that daily stimulation improved equilibrium and reduced anxiety parameters, measured by open field test. Conclusion: Based in these results we propose that the ELF MF stimulation parameters are useful to ameliorate some of the motor symptoms the PD and could be an alternative in the treatment for PD patients.