The Epilepsies: Phenotypes and Mechanisms

Publisher Summary The term epilepsy denotes a disor­der of brain function expressed as the periodic and unpredict­able occurrence of seizures. Pharmacological agents in current clinical use inhibit epileptic seizures, and therefore, referred to as antiseizure drugs. Other commonly used terms used by clinicians to describe individual EEG patterns include electroencephalographic (EEG) descriptors such as ictal (seizure-like) and interictal (between seizures). Seizures are thought to arise from the cerebral cortex, and not from other central nervous system (CNS) structures such as the thalamus, brainstem, or cerebellum. Many animal models of epilepsy are identified. Two of the most commonly studied models are the “kindling” and “status epilepticus” models. Kindling is a model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) that is induced by the periodic administration of brief, low-intensity electrical stimulation of the amygdala or other limbic struc­tures. The ease of control of kindling induction, its graded onset, and the ease of quantifying epileptogenesis simplify the study of early stages of epileptogenesis with this model.