LEMPEL-ZIV COMPLEXITY AS A PARAMETER TO

EVALUATE THE DYNAMICS OF CORTICAL

ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY IN RATS EXPOSED TO
GAMMA RADIATION
AGUIAR, LAA1; SILVA-LOPES2, IMS; NOGUEIRA, RA1
Departamento de Morfologia e Fisiologia Animal, UFRPE, Recife-PE, Brazil.
2
Departamento de Biofsica, UFPE, Recife-PE, Brazil.

ANALYSIS

INTRODUCTION
Understanding the effects of radiation and its
possible influence on the nervous system are of

ECoG

great clinical interest. However, there have been few

electrophysiological studies on brain activity after

LZC
Lempel-Ziv Complexity can be used to quantify
distinct patterns in symbolic sequences,
especially binary signals. LZC gives a measure
of complexity based on an estimated number of
distinct patterns obtained by parsing a symbolic
sequence.

exposure to ionizing radiation (IR). This work aimed

at using the Lempel-Ziv Complexity (LZC) to
evaluate the effects of ionizing radiation on the
dynamics of cortical electrical activity (ECoG) in rats.

RESULTS

METHODS
Thirty minutes of cortical electrical activity were recorded
in ten Wistar rats. The animals were divided into two
groups with five animals each, one control and one
irradiated with a dose of 18 Gy 60Co of gamma radiation.
To record ECoG the animals were anesthetized with
combination of xylazine with ketamine. Twenty four hour
after irradiation, the animals had their heads fixed to the

CONCLUSION

base of a stereotactic and a chlorinated silver electrode

was positioned on a trepanned hole in the left

These results show an increase of the LZC in the

hemisphere in the parietal region. The ECoG signal

ECoG signal for the irradiated group compared to the

complexity analysis was realized using the LZC, a

control. Therefore, LZC method was sensitive in

method that allows the recognition of patterns in a time

detecting

series. A nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used to

irradiation. These results are suggestive for a future

compare the two groups.

use of the LZC of the ECoG signal as a possible

bioindicator

ECoG

CONTROL

ACQUISITION SCHEME ECOG

n=5

IRRADIATED
18Gy (60Co )
n=5

1. AMPLIFIER. 2. ECOG ACQUISITION SYSTEM. 3.

EXTRACELLULAR ELECTRODE. 4. HEMISPHERE BRAIN
LAW. 5. LEFT HEMISPHERE. 6. REFERENCE
ELECTRODE.

24 hour after
irradiation

ECoG

pattern

changes

caused

by

in nuclear accidents and nuclear

medicine.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT