Newest Targets for Anticonvulsant Agents: An Overview

Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures influencing about 1% of the worldwide population. Despite much progress in understanding the pathogenesis of epilepsy, the molecular basis of human epilepsy still remains unclear. Common approaches for pharmacotherapy of epilepsy are still directed towards controlling the symptoms and suppression of seizures. Clinical use of Antiepileptic Drugs (AEDs) is currently limited due to their resistance and central nervous system (CNS)-related adverse effects. Therefore, a major goal in novel antiepileptic drug development is introducing AEDs that act through new molecular targets and those that could also improve seizure control and lower drug-resistance. So, it is necessary to find novel targets with different mechanisms of actions in seizure occurrence. Usually, studies on epilepsy focus on the mechanisms that control neuronal excitatory process in brain but recent attentions almost focus on finding novel targets. This review summarizes several experimental and clinical findings about new targets for epilepsy treatment.