The effect of physical activity on epileptic seizures and consequent learning and memory impairment in electrical amygdala kindling model

Abstract Background A recent body of evidence has suggested regular exercise as a promising complementary therapeutic strategy in the management of epilepsy and its related cognitive impairments. Objectives To put it to the test, our study aimed to comparatively examine the effects of physical exercise, low and high doses of levetiracetam, or the combination of both on amygdala electrical kindling-induced epilepsy in rats, as well as the consequent learning and memory impairments. Methods Male Wistar rats were randomly divided into ten groups (n = 7 per group) as the following: (I) Control (without kindling and exercise), (II) Lev (receiving a high dose of levetiracetam without kindling and exercise), (III) Ex (subjected to exercise without kindling), (IV) Ex-K (subjected to preventive exercise before kindling), (V) K (subjected to kindling without any intervention), (VI) K-Ex (subjected to exercise after kindling), (VII) K-L lev (receiving a low dose of levetiracetam after kindling), (VIII) K-H lev (receiving a high dose of levetiracetam after kindling), (IX) K-Ex-L lev (subjected to exercise and receiving a low dose of levetiracetam after kindling), and (X) K-Ex-H lev (subjected to exercise and receiving a high dose of levetiracetam after kindling). After the kindling procedure and interventions, the seizure parameters, including dADD, S₁L, S₂L, S₃L, S₄L, S₅L, Max S5D, and Max ADD, were recorded, and seizure-related behavioral changes were evaluated using the MWM test. Results Our findings showed that in all therapeutic interventional groups, including Ex, L lev, H lev, and their combination (Ex-L lev and Ex-H lev), there was a substantial reduction in parameters, including seizure stages, seizure duration, and dADD. In contrast, there was a significant increase in the mean delay time or latency from electrical stimulation to the onset of stages 1, 2, and 3 of seizure (S₁L, S2L, and S3L), and all groups were significantly different from the kindling group. Moreover, the kindling-induced spatial memory and learning deficit was remarkably ameliorated by preventive exercise, Ex, L lev, H lev, and their combination. Conclusion Our study reveals that, in conjunction with levetiracetam, regular exercise can ameliorate the intensity and frequency of amygdala electrical kindling-induced epileptic seizures, as well as the consequent spatial memory and learning impairments.