Epilepsy Therapy Screening From 1975 to 2026 and Beyond: Merging Established and New Approaches to Develop Novel Therapies

Antiepileptic Drug Development: II. Anticonvulsant Drug Screening Krall RL, Penry JK, White BG, Kupferberg HJ, Swinyard EA. Epilepsia . 1978 Aug;19(4):409-28. doi:10.1111/j.1528-1157.1978.tb04507.x. PMID: 699894 By means of the maximal electroshock seizure test, the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazol seizure threshold test, and the Rotorod minimal neurotoxicity test, the Anticonvulsant Screening Project has evaluated the activity of 1,495 experimental compounds accessioned in the first 2 years. A three-screen protocol for appraising these compounds has proved reliable, fast, and inexpensive. Preliminary data show that 430 of these compounds have good anticonvulsant activity. Completed evaluations of 352 identified 16 that have anticonvulsant activity at doses less than 75 mg/kg and protective indices greater than 5.0.