Helia reyhani,1,*
1. Student research committee, Anzali International Medical Campus, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Guilan,Iran
Introduction: Epilepsy is the fourth most common disease of the nervous system and if not treated, it leads to cognitive and behavioral disorders and permanent brain damage. Animal models are used to observe epilepsy mechanisms and discover new antiepileptic drugs. Today, there are different methods for inducing epilepsy in animal models and The mechanism of each method induces a different type of epilepsy. Researchers found that The best method for temporal lobe epilepsy is to use the kindling model which we are going to discuss in this review article. In the kindling model, repeated electrical stimulations are induced in different areas of the brain, especially the amygdala nuclei, and hippocampus, and depending on the type of animal and the location of the stimulation, it increases irritability and seizures.
In the kindling model, it is possible to observe the pattern of epilepsy, but it is expensive and requires a prolonged procedure. The kindling stimulation usually begins with 100 μA, continued by daily increases of 200 μA until a localized AD is induced. The average time for electrical stimulations to become a. Generalized seizures is between 9_91 days.
Methods: Our review is based on literature searches in online medical databases, as well as some specialized books about epilepsy and also we use some science journals from 2000 to 2023. The phrases were used: “epilepsy, ” “kindling model,” “the role of the kindling model in epilepsy,” “animal models of epilepsy,” and” kindling model in simulation of epilepsy ”. And the keywords are, “kindling model, ” “epilepsy,” “temporal lobe’s epilepsy,” and “electrical stimulation ”. At the end of searching, we also checked every article’s references.
Results: After reviewing 21 articles, we realized that daily repeated electrical stimulation in animal modes eventually leads to longer and more intense focal and tonic-clonic seizures. The average daily number of electrical stimulations required to reach the final stage of generalized epilepsy is 36 days in cats. Daily repetition leads to prolonged discharges that gradually cause convulsive activity. Once an animal has successfully reached the final stage of a seizure, the increased response to the stimulus appears to be permanent, and spontaneous seizures can occur within a short period.
Conclusion: Kindling is an experimental model of partial seizures that leads to secondary generalization seizures, it happens by repeated low-intensity electrical stimulation in many different areas of the brain specifically the limbic system. Over 30 years, candling models became an efficient way to study multiple seizures in the animal’s brain and compare it to the human’s brain. It seems that kindling is not just a chronic model of epilepsy but, it’s a tool for understanding the consequences of seizures which not have control. Investigators found out that the kindled animals in the limbic circuit have the most symmetry with humans.