The effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on a model rat of Parkinson's disease.

This study was undertaken to investigate the neuroprotective effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced rats with Parkinson's disease. rTMS was given to rats with Parkinson's disease induced by 6-OHDA, daily for 4 weeks to examine the protective effects. Rotational test showed that rTMS significantly attenuated apomorphine-induced turns in rats with Parkinson's disease. Tissue processing showed that rTMS alleviated 6-OHDA-induced loss of dopaminergic neurons in rat substantia nigra. Furthermore, rTMS decreased the levels of cyclooxygenase-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in rat substantia nigra, and prevented the fall of dopamine in the striatum of rats with Parkinson's disease.