Importance of EEG in validating the chronic effects of drugs: Suggestions from animal models of epilepsy treated with rapamycin

• A multidisciplinary approach is the best choice for the study of epilepsy.
• Simultaneous video and EEG recordings are useful to confirm seizures.
• Rapamycin is an ideal drug for chronic tests in animal models of TSC and epilepsy.

PurposeThe development of new drugs for the treatment of epilepsy is a major challenge for modern neurology and its first steps demand basic research. Preclinical studies on animal models of epilepsy are mainly based on the analysis of brain electrical activity to detect seizures, when they are not just limited to behavioral tests like the Racine scale.MethodsIn the present review, we discuss the importance of using time-locked video and EEG recordings (Video-EEG) coupled with behavioral tests as tools to monitor and analyze the effects of anti-epileptic drugs in pre-clinical research. Particularly, we focus on the utility of a multimodal approach based on EEG/behavioral analysis to study the beneficial effects of chronic rapamycin treatment as a potential anti-epileptogenic therapy for a broad spectrum of epilepsy, including both genetic (as in tuberous sclerosis complex) and acquired diseases.ResultsChanges and synchronization of neuronal activity of different areas have been correlated with specific behavior in both physiological and pathological conditions. In the epileptic brain, during a seizure there is an abnormal activation of many cells all at once, altering different networks.ConclusionA multimodal approach based on video, EEG analysis and behavioral tests would be the best option in preclinical studies of epilepsy.