ANIMAL MODELS USED IN THE SCREENING OF ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS

Epilepsy is a disorder of episodic brain dysfunction characterized by recurrent unprovoked spontaneous seizures. Epilepsy is the second most common neurological disorder after stroke. Antiepileptic drug discovery in animal models starts with the assumption that the experimental seizure model mimics human seizure. The identification of potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of epilepsy requires the use of seizure models. Animal models for seizures and epilepsy have played a fundamental role in advancing our understanding of basic mechanisms underlying ictogenesis and epileptogenesis and have been instrumental in the discovery and preclinical development of novel antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Most animal models cannot mimic all the pathophysiological, behavioural, electrophysiological, and neurochemical alterations of the spontaneous human epileptic syndrome. Therefore, while a selected few are used for routine screening of anticonvulsant compounds, some help in understanding mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis. In the case of antiepileptic drug development, once a compound appears promising, a battery of tests is carried out to characterize the clinical profile and possible mechanisms of action. A model for epilepsy is based on various criteria’s, and for a model to be successful, it should have the ideal characteristics needed for the seizure model. There are many models available based on which type of epilepsy it is. This article describes the various experimental models of seizure and epilepsy.