title: Investigational antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of childhood seizure disorders: a review of efficacy and safety.
abstract: Pediatric epileptology is very different from adult epileptology. Although some epileptic disorders occur in both children and adults (e.g., localization-related epilepsy with complex partial seizures and primary generalized epilepsy with tonic-clonic seizures), other disorders can be called the catastrophic epilepsies of childhood (e.g., infantile spasms and the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome). They occur, or at least begin, exclusively in childhood and are often associated with mental retardation. Many of these pediatric disorders are notoriously unresponsive to currently available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Although there are undoubtedly many reasons for this, one possible explanation is that the methods used to screen potential AEDs use animal models of adult epilepsy. No screening program uses an animal model of seizures that begin during development and lead to functional decline.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine 90024-1752.
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Shields
mesh_terms: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D001570:Benzodiazepinones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D000078306:Clobazam; D015195:Drug Design; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D015507:Drugs, Investigational / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000078328:Felbamate; D006801:Humans; D007555:Isoxazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D048448:Phenylcarbamates; D011409:Propylene Glycols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014227:Triazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000078305:Zonisamide
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D001570:Benzodiazepinones; D015507:Drugs, Investigational; D007555:Isoxazoles; D048448:Phenylcarbamates; D011409:Propylene Glycols; D014227:Triazines; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D000078306:Clobazam; D000078305:Zonisamide; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D000078328:Felbamate