The Effect of Aerobic Exercise Training on Epileptic Behaviors in the Kindled and Non-Kindled Rats with Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)

Exercise can be a supplementary therapy to treat seizures. However, there is little information on the extent of these effects in seizure-susceptible individuals. In this study, we investigated the simultaneous effects of aerobic exercise in the kindle and non-kindle rats with pentylenetetrazole (PTZ).

In this experimental study, 40 rats were divided in 4 groups of kindled with PTZ injections that performed aerobic exercise for 6 weeks, sedentary kindled with PTZ injections, non-kindled that performed aerobic exercise for 6 weeks, and sedentary non-kindled. The non-kindled groups only received PTZ before and after 6-week period. 24 hours after the 6-week period, all groups received PTZ, and seizure parameters including stage 4 latency (S4L), stage 5 duration (S5D), and seizure duration (SD) were compared with before 6-week period. Repeated analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post hoc test were used for data analysis.

In non-kindled animals, aerobic exercise reduced seizure parameters of S4L (P < 0.001) and SD (P < 0.050), and removed the generalized seizures. In kindled rats, it increased the latency time until the seizure onset (P< 0.001), and decreased the S5D and SD parameters (P < 0.001).

The results showed that 6 weeks of aerobic activity reduced epileptic behaviors in kindled and non-kindled rats.