Objective: 

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of different intensities of swimming exercise on penicillin-induced epileptic activity.

Methods: 

Adult male Wistar rats weighing 180–220 g composed the material of this study after at least 1 week of acclimatization. Each animal group included seven rats. All animals were adapted to water before the beginning of the experiment. Exercise performed by swimming in two training glass tanks filled with tap water. Animals were swim-exercised for 90 days with 15, 30 and 60 minutes/day. Thereafter, the epileptiform activity was induced by a single microinjection of penicillin (500 units) into the left somatomotor cortex. The electrocorticography activity was continuously monitored on a four-channel recorder.

Results: 

Short-duration swimming exercise (15 min/day for 90 days) decreased the mean frequency and amplitude of penicillin-induced epileptiform activity in the 70 and 90 minutes after penicillin injection compared to penicillin administered group, respectively. Moderate-duration (30 min/day for 90 days) and long-duration (60 min/day for 90 days) swimming exercise did not alter either the frequency or amplitude of epileptiform activity.

Conclusions: 

The data obtained from our experiments showed that moderate duration and long- duration, long-term swimming exercise did not affect either the frequency or amplitude of penicillin-induced epileptiform activity, whereas short-duration, swimming exercise decreased the mean frequency and amplitude of penicilin-induced epileptiform activity in rats. This may suggest that swimming exercise does not increase either severity or duration of epileptic activity in the experimental model epilepsy in rats.