Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Cognitive Function in Acute and Chronic Male Rats by Regulating Oxidative Stress and Reducing Neuroinflammation

Abstract Introduction: Epilepsy causes physical, psychological, social and economic problems. Epilepsy is a seizure condition that occurs as a result of deterioration of balance of inhibition and excitation between nerve cells in the brain. The aim of study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of DCS over the hippocampuscortex on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in rats with acute and chronic temporal lobe epilepsy model. Methods: 72 Wistar albino male rats, 3 months old, were divided into 6 groups; Acute control, acute epilepsy, acute epilepsy+tDCS, chronic control, chronic epilepsy and chronic epilepsy+tDCS. The TLE model was created with Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) injection. Locomotor activity behavior was evaluated with open field test, and learning behavior was evaluated with novel object recognition and y maze tests. After the behavioral experiments, the subjects were sacrificed and proinflammatory cytokine levels were measured in hippocampus brain tissue. Results: tDCS stimulation had a neuroprotective effect on cognitive function, which deteriorates learning and memory after epilepsy. In addition, the increase in GFAP and nNOS expressions after PTZ-induced epilepsy was found to be decreased as a result of tDCS stimulation. However, in acute and chronic epilepsy groups, it was observed that significant decrease in SOD levels increased with tDCS treatment, while the significant increases in MDA, IL-1β and TNF-α levels were decreased with tDCS stimulation. Conclusion: These results showed that tDCS administration in acute and chronic epilepsy has a therapeutic and neuroprotective effect on oxidative stress and neuroinflammation and has a reducing effect on neuroinflammation.