Effects of a Combination of Transcranial DC Cerebellar Stimulation and Pioglitazone Administration on Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Seizures in Kindled Rats

Abstract

In rats with the kindling syndrome induced by i.p. injections of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ; 35 mg/kg daily, for three weeks), the averaged latency of seizures induced by a test injection of PTZ (35 mg/kg) was significantly greater (by 42.2%, P < 0.05 vs. control) after a combination of pioglitazone administration (100 mg/kg, i.p.) and transcranial DC stimulation (tDCS, 300 μA, 10 min, cathode on the skull surface) oriented toward the cerebellar cortex. Also, combined using of tDCS and pioglitazone prevented the occurrence of generalized tonico-clonic seizure attacks in 8 out of 10 rats of the respective group (P < 0.05), reduced the seizure severity by 31.3% on average (P < 0.05), and made shorter ictal discharges (by 45.0%; P < 0.05).