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Epilepsy Comorbidities: How Can Animal Models Help?

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Issues in Clinical Epileptology: A View from the Bench

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 813))

Abstract

An epilepsy comorbidity is a condition or disorder that occurs at a frequency greater than chance in a person with epilepsy. Examples of common epilepsy comorbidities are depression, anxiety, and intellectual disability. Epilepsy comorbidities can be quite disabling, sometimes affecting a patient’s quality of life to a greater extent than seizures. Animal models offer the opportunity to explore shared pathophysiological mechanisms, therapeutic options, and consequences of both the epilepsy syndrome and a given comorbidity. In this chapter, depression is used as an example of how animal models can inform translational questions about epilepsy comorbidities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Neurology and Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Centennial Building 7176, 1685 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Carl E. Stafstrom M.D., Ph.D.

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  1. Carl E. Stafstrom M.D., Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Carl E. Stafstrom M.D., Ph.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Child & Adoles. Psych., Phys. & Neurosc., and Psych., New York Univ. Langone Med. Ctr., Orangeburg, New York, USA

    Helen E. Scharfman

  2. Dept. of Comp. Med. and Neurol. & Neurol. Scs., Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA

    Paul S. Buckmaster

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Stafstrom, C.E. (2014). Epilepsy Comorbidities: How Can Animal Models Help?. In: Scharfman, H., Buckmaster, P. (eds) Issues in Clinical Epileptology: A View from the Bench. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 813. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8914-1_22

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8914-1_22

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-017-8913-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-8914-1

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