What can we learn from animal models of convulsive status epilepticus?

Animal models of convulsive status epilepticus (SE) are essential tools for studying human SE and developing novel therapies. Although they do not exhibit the prolonged“silent period” that is characteristic of the typical mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) patient, they have proven invaluable for investigating the pathophysiology of seizure-induced brain damage. Recurrent spontaneous seizures also make them useful for antiepileptic drug screening, albeit only for a subset of patients who experience frequent, convulsive seizures. Chemoconvulsant-based models are particularly relevant to those patients that have survived prolonged SE and exhibit severe brain damage and epilepsy with no apparent latent period. Although promising results have been obtained from SE animal models, translating them into human trials has proven difficult. This may be due to several important differences to the human disease, including etiology, neuropathology, and seizure manifestation. Provided their limitations are acknowledged and respected, animal models of SE will continue to produce useful data for years to come.