Natural History of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis.

Temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of human epilepsy,1 is most often associated with hippocampal sclerosis (HS), the most common epileptogenic lesion.2 This condition is referred to as mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) with HS.3 Perhaps in recognition of the importance of MTLE with HS as a major health burden worldwide, a large percentage of research on epilepsy now utilizes animal models of this disorder. Whereas kindling was the most popular model of MTLE during the 1970s and' 80s, it has been largely replaced in recent years by chronic post status epilepticus models induced by excitotoxic substances such as kainic acid (KA) and pilocarpine (Pilo), or tetanic hippocampal stimulation to produce self-sustained status epilepticus (SSSE).4 This chapter will briefly review MTLE with HS and examine the strengths and weaknesses of these various experimental models for investigating mechanisms underlying this human condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]