Analysis of electrocorticographic patterns in rats fed standard or hyperlipidic diets in a normal state or during status epilepticus

Abstract

Objective: The consumption of hyperlipidic diets has grown markedly in recent decades, and several studies have linked this consumption with the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Conversely, hyperlipidic diets have been used as an alternative therapy for refractory epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a hyperlipidic diet on brain electrical activity before and during status epilepticus (SE) using computational and mathematical methods.

Methods: Electrocorticogram (ECoG) was recorded in Wistar rats fed with standard and hyperlipidic diets. Each recording was obtained during 30-minute period (baseline), after this time, the SE was induced by pilocarpine, and recording was continued for another 30 minutes. The ECoG signals were analyzed by the following methods: power spectrum, Lempel–Ziv complexity (LZC), and fractal dimension of the phase space.

Results: Hyperlipidic diet in normal animals caused a decrease in the theta, alpha, and beta rhythm, and reduced the LZC of the brain electrical activity. However, when the animals were induced to SE, these differences between nutritional groups were not observed. SE caused in both dietary groups increase in theta, alpha, and beta rhythm values, and increase in the complexity of brain electrical activity.

Discussion: Hyperlipidic diet consumption attenuated the brain's electrical activity, suggesting that healthy individuals who habitually eat a hyperlipidic diet may develop dysfunctions such as cognitive decline and memory impairment. Furthermore, the antagonistic effect between hyperlipidic diet and SE suggests that this diet could protect against seizures.

Keywords:

• Epilepsy
• Hyperlipidic diet
• Electrocorticogram
• Lempel–Ziv complexity
• Power spectrum
• Phase space fractal dimension

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Ciencia e Tecnologia do Estado de Pernambuco (FACEPE) and by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES).

Disclaimer statements

Contributors DP performed the experiments, analyzed the records, and wrote the manuscript; BM developed the computational routines; RG implemented the experimental model of epilepsy and performed ECoG analyses; BMT contributed to the development of the experimental methods and wrote the manuscript; and RN oversaw all stages of the study. All authors approved the final article.

Funding None.

Conflicts of interest None of the authors has any conflict of interest to disclose.

Ethics approval Experiments were approved by Ethics Committee for Animal Research of the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Brazil, whose protocols comply with the ‘Principles of Laboratory Animal Care’ (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA).