title: Importance of EEG in validating the chronic effects of drugs: suggestions from animal models of epilepsy treated with rapamycin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Changes 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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A multimodal approach based on video, EEG analysis and behavioral tests would be the best option in preclinical studies of epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Università degli Studi di Torino, Department of Neuroscience, Turin, Italy. Electronic address: marco.cambiaghi@unito.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cambiaghi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States; Department of Genetics and Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States; Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States. Electronic address: laura.magri@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Magri
authors.affiliation: Clinical Neurophysiology Unit, Department of Neurology, Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cursi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014743:Videotape Recording
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D020123:Sirolimus
keywords: Behavior; Rapamycin; Video-EEG monitoring