c-Fos expression in rat brain after repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

We investigated neuronal response to repetitive transcranial magnetic stimu lation (rTMS) and electroconvulsive shock (ECS) in terms of c-Fos expressio n. In rats at postnatal day 49, six rTMS sessions induced widespread nuclea r c-Fos-like immunoreactivity in frontal cortex lateral orbital cortex, str iatum, lateral septal nucleus, piriform cortex, dentate gyrus, Ammon's horn , cingulate cortex, parietal cortex, thalamus, occipital cortex, and amygda la; this reactivity was greater than with two sessions of rTMS or sham rTMS . ECS produced even stronger c-Fos expression than six sessions of rTMS in all regions except thalamus (no difference) and striatum (stronger with rTM S). Thus, functional modification of neuroanatomic substrates as demonstrat ed by c-Fos expression may partially differ between rTMS and ECS. NeuroRepo rt 12:1307-1310 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.