Effect of nifedipine on electrical activity of the brain in rat

Effect of calcium channel blocker nifedipine on the electrical activity of the brain in anaesthetized rats was studied. The electoencephalographic signals were registered on a computer as series of data and thereafter they were decomposed by Fourier analysis in very narrow fields of frequency. The electrical activity of the brain of the control rats was asymmetrical, with a more important activity in the left brain hemisphere, particularly between 20-30 Hz when the electrical activity of the brain was globally more important. The nifedipine increased the electrical activity of the brain between 0.5-4 Hz and 20-30 Hz in a dose-dependent manner. The drug also increased the interhemispheric asymmetry. Some possible explanations of these effects are analyzed.