Changes effected by bitemporal diathermy in the electrical activity of the diencephalic region and the cerebral cortex of rabbits

Abstract

As shown in chronic experiments on rabbits, bitemporal diathermy provokes the following changes in most of the animals within the first 24–48 hous after their treatment: 1) a rise of the total level of biopotentials of diencephalic area and of the parieto-occipital zone of the cortex of cerebral hemispheres both in intensification of back-ground synchronization at the rhythm of 5–6 per sec, and in the absence of distinct changes in the frequency characteristics, of the electrogram; 2) diathermy causes intensified perception of the rhythm of light flickering or the appearance of synchronization in applying light stimuli, irrespective of their frequency. A suggestion is made that bitemporal diathermy causes a rise of the total excitability level both of the diencephalic area and of the cortex, accompanied by increased lability of their cells. The more marked and constant character of the changes occurring in diencephalic area in comparison with that in the cortex of large hemispheres evidently shows that the changes in diencephalon are primary.