Developmental animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy

A method of assaying the anti-epileptic efficacy of a compound or pharmaceutical composition, wherein said method comprises:

• administering a compound or pharmaceutical composition postulated as having potential as an agent for treating epilepsy or other seizure-related disorders to a rat which has been administered subconvulsive doses of a kainate receptor agonist sufficient to effect a permanent change in the neurological development of the rat, intraperitoneally or subcutaneously during the second postnatal week, said rat exhibiting seizure-like symptoms when exposed to a mild to moderate stressor that would not normally elicit a seizure,
• exposing said rat to a form of mild to moderate stress, and
• measuring the rate of occurrence an/or severity of any seizure induced in said rat by exposure to said stress, wherein a decreased rate of occurrence and/or severity of seizure is associated with anti-epileptic efficacy of the compound or pharmaceutical composition.