The effect of cabergoline and levetiracetam on the histological and stereological structure of the cerebellar cortex, hippocampal and cerebellum in a model of PTZ-induced seizure kindling in rats

Background: Seizure is a chronic neurological disease that may have non-neurological origins such as astrocytes and microglia. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of alone and co-administration of cabergoline and levetiracetam on the histological and stereological structure of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum following chronic seizures in rat. Methods: In this experimental study, 30 female rats in the control, seizures (kindling with PTZ), seizures+levetiracetam, seizures+cabergoline, seizures+levetiracetam+cabergoline groups were studied. levetiracetam and cabergoline were used at 50 and 0.05 mg/kg, respectively, and half of these doses were used in the seizures+levetiracetam+cabergoline group. After eutanasia, animal's brain tissue was removed and after preparing tissue sections, the number of neurons and neuroglia was examined using stereology technique. Results: In the cerebral cortex and molecular and granular layers of the cerebellum, the number of neurons and neuroglia in the treatment groups were not significantly different from the control group, but in the CA1,2,3 areas of the seizure group, a significant decrease was observed compared to the control group. In Dentate gyrus, the number of neurons in all treatment groups and the number of neuroglia in the seizure group showed a significant decrease compared to the control group. In the Purkinje layer of the cerebellum, there is no significant change in the neurons compared to the control group. Conclusion: The hippocampus is more involved in the occurrence of seizure activity than other parts of the brain. Also, neurons and neuroglia play an essential role in seizures, but determining the relationship between changes in the density of these cells and the use of cabergoline requires more studies because their density decreased in different parts of the hippocampus following chronic seizures. But in dendrite gyrus this relationship is different with CA regions.