ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the epileptiform activity that occurs in brain slices and the response of this activity to anticonvulsants. Epilepiform activity can be evoked in a range of in vivo and in vitro models. Many of the same methods that have been previously used to produce seizures in vivo can also produce epileptiform activity in brain slices. Most of these methods act by either reducing inhibition or increasing excitation. In addition to traditional anticonvulsants, many of the following studies have explored the antiepileptic properties of excitatory amino acid antagonists. Epileptiform activity can be elicited in brain slices by the use of a magnesium-free artificial cerebral spinal fluid (ACSF). In neocortical slices, 0-magnesium ACSF elicits spontaneous and triggered epileptiform burst and electrographic seizure activity. The activity in neocortical slices is similar to that recorded in hippocampal slices, with a few exceptions. The entorhinal cortex is another area capable of supporting epileptiform activity in 0-magnesium ACSF.
