The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the physiological effects of pulsed magnetic stimulation of the brain in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. We observed and compared changes in heart rate, arterial blood pressure, the coefficient of variation, and two frequency components reflecting cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic activities and vasomotor sympathetic tone from autoregressive (AR) power spectra of pulse interval (PIV) and systolic blood pressure variabilities (SPV) in three periods, i. e. control, pulsed magnetic stimulation-response, and recovery. We also calculated the baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) from spontaneous changes in blood pressure and pulse interval. In our results, SHR showed a decrease in arterial blood pressure and sympathetic activity compared with those in the control group, but no changes in WKY rats. Our conclusion is that pulsed magnetic stimulation may be used as an effective control tool for essential hypertension.
