Authors: P. F. Fabene; A. Sbarbati

Source: Current Drug Targets, Volume 5, Number 7, October 2004 , pp. 629-636(8)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

Abstract:

In order to investigate epilepsy, that is one of the most common neurological disorders, in the last decades different animal models have been proposed. Prevention, diagnosis, treatment and basic knowledge have been improved by the mean of these models.

Numerous animal models have been developed in epilepsy research, both for generalized and for simple / complex partial seizures. Animal models for generalized seizures include sensory (light, noise, movement, etc) or electrical stimulations and genetic models. Models for focal seizures include topical or systemic application of pro-convulsive compounds or electrical stimulation. Baboons, mice, rats, rabbits, and Fayoumi chicken have been extensively used in this regard.

Since 1983, when magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to evaluate for the first time in vivo alterations induced by status epilepticus in rabbit, an increasing interest for the neuroimaging perspective has led to new insights in the study of epileptic disorders. In the early 1990s experimental studies provided evidence for the feasibility of magnetic resonance imaging analysis and detection of tissue damage in kainic acid-induced epilepsy in rat. In the following years a wealth of data has been obtained by the mean of functional MRI and / or by diffusion-weighted images.

The studies reported in the literature of the last decades indicate in vivo magnetic resonance of epilepsy model as valuable and extremely informative tool.

Keywords: seizures; diffusion-weighted images; perfusion-weighted images; t1-w images; t2-w images; fmri; diffusion tensor-mri; simple partial seizures; complex partial seizures; generalized seizures

Document Type: Review article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1389450043345218

Affiliations: 1: University of Verona, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Morphological and Biomedical Sciences, Section of Anatomy and Histology, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134 Verona, Italy.

Publication date: 2004-10-01

More about this publication?

• Current Drug Targets aims to cover the latest and most outstanding developments on the medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of molecular drug targets e.g. disease specific proteins, receptors, enzymes, genes. Each issue of the journal will be devoted to a single timely topic, with series of in-depth reviews, written by leaders in the field, covering a range of current topics on drug targets. These issues will be organized and led by a guest editor who is a recognized expert in the overall topic. As the discovery, identification, characterisation and validation of novel human drug targets for drug discovery continues to grow; this journal will be essential reading for all pharmaceutical scientists involved in drug discovery and development.

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