Electroencephalographic Recording of Epileptic Seizures in Epilepsy-Induced Rats

Take an epilepsy-induced rat with an electrode implanted in the skull. The tip of the electrode is inserted into the ventral hippocampus region.

Connect an electroencephalography, or EEG, recording system to the implanted electrode.

Transfer the rat to a plexiglass cylinder to record brain activity while the animal moves freely.

Epilepsy induction results in an increased release of excitatory neurotransmitters in the synapse of neurons while the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters decreases, disrupting the equilibrium between excitatory and inhibitory signals.

The increased excitatory neurotransmitters trigger a continuous influx of positive ions, making the neurons hyperexcitable. This causes a continuous generation of electrical signals.

A burst of synchronous electrical activity by neighboring neurons at a high frequency is termed an epileptic seizure.

Using the implanted electrode, record the abnormal burst of brain activity to identify the occurrence of seizures in the epilepsy-induced rat.