Apoptosis in acute stroke is associated with a negative prognosis and is correlated with the severity of the neurological deficit. However, there is no evidence that indicates that, in the subacute phase of the stroke, the apoptosis process might activate neuroplasticity. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of an extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) on the molecular mechanism of apoptosis, as used in the rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Patients with moderate stroke severity (n = 48), 3-4 weeks after incident, were enrolled in the analysis and divided into ELF-EMF and non-ELF-EMF group. The rehabilitation program in both groups involves the following: kinesiotherapy-30 min; psychological therapy-15 min; and neurophysiological routines-60 min. Additionally, the ELF-EMF group was exposed to an ELF-EMF (40 Hz, 5 mT). In order to assess the apoptosis gene expression level, we measured the mRNA expression of BAX, BCL-2, CASP8, TNFα, and TP53. We found that ELF-EMF significantly increased the expression of BAX, CASP8, TNFα, and TP53, whereas the BCL-2 mRNA expression after ELF-EMF exposition remained at a comparable level in both groups. Thus, we suggest that increasing the expression of pro-apoptotic genes in post-stroke patients promotes the activation of signaling pathways involved in brain plasticity processes. However, further research is needed to clarify this process.
Keywords: apoptosis; extremely low frequency electromagnetic field; neuroplasticity; stroke.