Alexandre Valotta da Silva, MD, PhD.
Esper Abrão Cavalheiro, MD, PhD.
Laboratório de Neurologia Experimental da
Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP-EPM).

Abstract
Epilepsy is a common disorder of the brain affecting approximately 1% people worldwide inhabitants. Clinically, the epilepsies are characterized by spontaneous, recurrent epileptic seizures, either convulsive or non-convulsive, which are caused by partial or generalized discharges in the brain. Animal models for seizures and epilepsy have played a fundamental role to the understanding of the physiological and behavioral changes associated with human epilepsy. They allow us to determine the nature of injuries that might contribute to the development of epilepsy; to observe and intercede in the disease process subsequent to an injury preceding to the onset of spontaneous seizures; and also to study the chronically epileptic brain in detail, using physiological, pharmacological, molecular, and anatomical techniques. In the present article, we briefly review how epilepsy research has contributed to new discoveries on brain function and vice-versa.

mciencia@unicamp.br