Chapter 29 - Experimental Febrile Seizures in Rodents

Abstract

Epilepsy is a nervous system disorder characterized by recurrent seizures that commonly affects infants and children. It has been suggested that prolonged seizures in early life may affect the developing brain. Thus, adequate animal models for studying the causality and outcome of early life seizures are necessary to facilitate the development of drugs and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of epilepsy. In human 3 months to 5 years of age, febrile seizures are the most common type of convulsive event. Although in most cases febrile seizures are benign, it remains controversial whether complex febrile seizures are associated with the development of epilepsy later in life. To address this question, animal models of febrile seizures have been developed and used to characterize the mechanisms and consequences of febrile–seizure-induced alterations in the structure and function of neural circuits. In this chapter, methods that can be used to induce experimental febrile seizures in rodents and findings from the febrile seizure models will be introduced and discussed.