Electrophysiological assesment of cuprizone induced demyelination at wistar-albino rats

Multipl Sclerosis is a disease that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) by destructing myelin shield and also can affects the peripheral nervous system. Demyelination is acquired characteristics disease and appears with the degeneration of myelin which protects the axons. Cuprizon model is a toxic demyelination model and depends on feeding the animal by cuprizon. The purpose of this experiment is to try the cuprizon model on Wistar-Albino rats and to investigate the changes of spinal nerve conduction velocity by electrophysiological study.Rats are separated 6 different groups. After adding and mixing the cuprizon in 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) had given to the groups in different time period by gavage from mouth, every day. At the end of the experiments spinal nerve conduction velocity was measured by EMG. After stimulating the spinal cord by needle electrodes, Compound muscle action potential (CMAP) detected from the above level of gastrocnemius muscle by EMG surface record electrodes and then spinal nerve conduction velocity calculated by analyzing the CMAP. Cerebrum and cerebellum were taken for histopathological investigation after the animals sacrificed.Spinal cord nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) of rats who feed with normal fodder was calculated as 76.54 ± 4.76 m/s (Velocity ± Standart Error (SE)). SNCV of the rats who feed with CMC was calculated as 88.04 ± 9.11 m/s, who feed with cuprizon during 4 weeks 72.01 ± 6.90 m/s, who feed with cuprizon during 5 weeks 68.10 ± 13.53 m/s, who feed with cuprizon during 6 weeks 46.35 ± 1.95 m/s, who feed with cuprizon during 7 weeks 55.89 ± 6.11 m/s.SNCV of the rats who had feed with cuprizon began tendency of decrease after 4th weeks. These reductions were observed as maximum at 6th weeks. At 7th week increments were observed at SNCV. These results indicated us 6 weeks of cuprizon feedings could be suitable to bring into existence of MS for Wistar-Albino type rats.