Efficacy of Ear-Point Stimulation on Experimentally Induced Seizure

This study was to observe the effects of ear-point stimulation on electrocorticogram of sensorimotor cortex and behaviors of rats with penicillin-induced seizure. The model of epilepsy was by injecting penicillin into the hippocampus. One hour later, the lower 1/2 auricular lobules containing ear-points Pizhixia, Shenmen_Zeng and Nao, etc. as humans, or great auricular nerve of seizure rats, were treated twice with electrical stimulation (parameters of stimulation were as follows: electrical current intensity 0.14∼0.2 mA, frequency about 80Hz, 30 min on and 30 min off). The outcome showed that rats appeared epileptic-like electrocorticogram and convulsion behaviors 5 min after injected penicillin. When they were subsequently given the ear-point or great auricular nerve electrical stimulation separately, these epileptic-like electrocorticogram and seizure behaviors were definitely improved. These anti-seizure effects could be enhanced with hour extension of electrical stimulation. If the great auricular nerve of seizure rat was severed before electrical stimulating ear-points, the effects of anti-seizure disappeared. Otherwise, the seizure rats given sham ear-point electrical stimulation (the experimental conditions were same as that of ear-point stimulation other than electric current being no applied) did not show any improvement for epileptic-like electrocorticogram and seizure behaviors. Based on the results above, it was suggested that ear-point electrical stimulation could cause certainly efficacy of anti-seizure, which may be relative with the great auricular nerve.