Beyond snapshots: why long-term monitoring changes the game in absence epilepsy
THE UNMET NEED IN EPILEPSY
Absence epilepsy is one of the most common forms of childhood epilepsy, accounting for around 10% of cases. Children experience brief episodes where they become unresponsive to what’s happening around them.
On an EEG, these seizures are associated with generalized synchronous and regular spike-and-wave discharges (SWD).
Source : Posner E. Absence seizures in children. 2013
A TRANSLATIONAL MODEL
GAERS (Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg) is a reference model for absence epilepsy. It reproduces the behavioral, electrophysiological, and pharmacological features of the human condition, including the same spike-and-wave discharges seen on patient EEGs.
Beyond acute evaluation
Antiseizure medications are usually evaluated for a short period of time after their administration in the GAERS while animals are maintained in a quiet wakefulness.
SWDs follow a circadian rhythm, with a higher number of seizures occurring during the dark phase and fewer at the start of the light phase, when the animals are asleep.
Antidepressants reshaped our understanding of depression
Evaluating ASMs over a longer period and under undisturbed conditions yields data with greater translational value in this model.
Ethosuximide, one of the most widely used anti-absence drugs, significantly reduced SWDs during the dark phase, with the time course of suppression tracking its pharmacokinetics.
WHY RECORDING FOR 24 HOURS?
Measuring GAERS spike-and-wave discharges under naturalistic conditions reveals that SWDs are state-dependent, just as epileptic activity is in humans.
Assessing drug effects in these same conditions allows a better characterization of how anti-absence compounds actually behave.
Venceslas Duveau, PhD
Senior Epilepsy Expert and Senior Scientific Business Developer at SynapCell
Venceslas Duveau, PhD is Senior Business Developer at SynapCell and a senior neuroscientist specialized in epilepsy and EEG‑based translational research. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology from the University of Bordeaux and has over 20 years of experience in academic research, preclinical neuroscience, and CNS drug discovery. At SynapCell, he designs scientific projects for customers and translates complex EEG data into robust, translatable biomarkers supporting predictive decision‑making in preclinical epilepsy drug development.