Epilepsy Research in the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague

Abstract

Starting from simple clinical statistics, the spectrum of methods used in epilepsy research in the Institute of Physiology of the Czechoslovak (now Czech) Academy of Sciences progressively increased. Professor Servít used electrophysiological methods for study of brain activity in lower vertebrates, neuropathology was focused on electronmicroscopic study of cortical epileptic focus and ion-sensitive microelectrodes were used for studies of cortical direct current potentials. Developmental studies used electrophysiological methods (activity and projection of cortical epileptic foci, EEG under the influence of convulsant drugs, hippocampal, thalamic and cortical electrical stimulation for induction of epileptic afterdischarges and postictal period). Extensive pharmacological studies used seizures elicited by convulsant drugs (at first pentylenetetrazol but also other GABA antagonists as well as agonists of glutamate receptors). Motor performance and behavior were also studied during brain maturation. The last but not least molecular biology was included into the spectrum of methods. Many original data were published making a background of position of our laboratory in the first line of laboratories interested in brain development.