Electrical stimulation seizure models

Electrical stimulation of local brain regions or whole brain electroshocks can produce seizures. The most well-known in vivo seizure models are the self-sustained status epilepticus models (SSSE), and the cortical stimulation model (CSM). The SSSE models can be used to study the mechanism that may explain why seizures become self-sustained, and why SE becomes intractable. This model is also typically used as chronic model for temporal lobe epilepsy. The CSM model can be used for repeated antiepileptic drug (AED) effect measurements. Because in this model the threshold for local seizure generation does not change over repeated stimulations, the number of animals needed to test dose-effect relations can be reduced. Electroshock models can be used to test efficacy of potential antiepileptic drugs. The most well-known whole brain electrical stimulation models are the maximal electroshock model (MES) and the 6 Hz psychomotor seizure model, both mainly in rodents. Even at the present time, these models are still the most widely used high-throughput drug screening models.