Functional Neurotoxic Effects
to Acute Application of Malonic Acid in Rats
Zita Fazakas, Andrea Szabó, Zsuzsanna Lengyel, and László Nagymajtényi
Department of Public Health, University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine Szeged, Hungary
Corresponding author: Andrea Szabó
Department of Public Health
University of Szeged Faculty of Medicine
Dóm tér 10
H-6720 Szeged, Hungary
Telephone: +36-62-545-119
Fax number: +36-62-545-120
E-mail: szaboa@puhe.szote.u-szeged.hu
CEJOEM 2005, Vol.11. No.2.: 151–158
Key words:
Malonic acid, electrocorticogram, evoked potentials, peripheral nerve, rat
Abstract:
Malonic acid (MA) is a natural substance with mitochondrial toxic activity which makes it important in modelling
chronic human neurological diseases like Huntington’s disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects
of acutely administered MA on the spontaneous activity and evoked potential in the cortex, and action potentials in
a peripheral nerve. Young adult male Wistar rats were anesthetized with urethane and received 600 mg/kg b.m. MA ip.
Spontaneous activity and evoked potentials in the somatosensory, visual and auditory cortical areas as well as the
compound action potentials of the tail nerve, elicited by electrical stimulation, were recorded before and after MA
administration. In the spontaneous activity, a transient decrease was seen in the delta, and an increase in the beta
band. In the cortical evoked potentials, both amplitude and duration were affected. There was no considerable effect
on nerve conduction velocity. Experiments of this kind may contribute to the background of modelling certain human
neurological diseases.
Received: 14 January 2005
Accepted: 26 May 2005
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