Effects of Cholinergic Receptor Activation and Magnetic Fields on Motor
Behavior in Ischemic Gerbils
Abstract
Aim of the study: Given the known synergistic relationship between
magnetic field (MF) and cholinergic receptor activation in the
cholinergic system, the present study aims to investigate whether the
combined use of a static MF and an agonist for nicotinic acetylcholine
receptors (nAChR) can preserve motor behavior in ischemic gerbils.
Materials & methods: We randomly allocated 72 Mongolian gerbils into
nine groups (n=8), distributed according to surgical procedure and
treatment. The animals were trained and evaluated on the Rotarod (RR) to
assess motor performance. Results: Our main finding was the preservation
of motor behavior in the Sham Ischemia + Nicotine + Sham Magnetic
Stimulation (Sh+N+SMS) and Ischemia + Nicotine + South Pole (I+N+SP)
groups, as evidenced by the results of the RR test. Conclusions: Our
findings are consistent with previous literature and provide insight
into the mechanism of potentiation, as results showed that adding a
nAChR agonist to the MF preserved motor performance in the RR test of
ischemic animals.