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Electromagnetic Field Stimulation Potentiates Endogenous Myelin Repair by Recruiting Subventricular Neural Stem Cells in an Experimental Model of White Matter Demyelination

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Abstract

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) may affect the endogenous neural stem cells within the brain. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of EMFs on the process of toxin-induced demyelination and subsequent remyelination. Demyelination was induced using local injection of lysophosphatidylcholine within the corpus callosum of adult female Sprague–Dawley rats. EMFs (60 Hz; 0.7 mT) were applied for 2 h twice a day for 7, 14, or 28 days postlesion. BrdU labeling and immunostaining against nestin, myelin basic protein (MBP), and BrdU were used for assessing the amount of neural stem cells within the tissue, remyelination patterns, and tracing of proliferating cells, respectively. EMFs significantly reduced the extent of demyelinated area and increased the level of MBP staining within the lesion area on days 14 and 28 postlesion. EMFs also increased the number of BrdU- and nestin-positive cells within the area between SVZ and lesion as observed on days 7 and 14 postlesion. It seems that EMF potentiates proliferation and migration of neural stem cells and enhances the repair of myelin in the context of demyelinating conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from Neuroscience research center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Amin Sherafat, Motahareh Heibatollahi, Somayeh Mongabadi, Fatemeh Moradi & Abolhassan Ahmadiani

  2. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-331, Tehran, Iran

    Mohammad Javan

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  1. Mohammad Amin Sherafat
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  2. Motahareh Heibatollahi
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  3. Somayeh Mongabadi
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  4. Fatemeh Moradi
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  6. Abolhassan Ahmadiani
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Correspondence to Mohammad Javan.

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Sherafat, M.A., Heibatollahi, M., Mongabadi, S. et al. Electromagnetic Field Stimulation Potentiates Endogenous Myelin Repair by Recruiting Subventricular Neural Stem Cells in an Experimental Model of White Matter Demyelination. J Mol Neurosci 48, 144–153 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-012-9791-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12031-012-9791-8

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