“Drugs that modulate the endocannabinoid system and endocannabinoids typically play an anticonvulsant role although some proconvulsant effects have been reported both in humans and animal models.
This study aims to characterize the role of cannabinoids in specific areas of the cortico-thalamic network involved in oscillations that underlie seizures in a genetic animal model of absence epilepsy, the WAG/Rij rat.
These results, together with previous reports, support therapeutic potential for endocannabinoid system modulators in absence epilepsy and highlight that attenuated endocannabinergic function may contribute to the generation and maintenance of seizures. Furthermore, the entire cortico-thalamic network responds to cannabinoid treatment, indicating that in all areas considered, CB receptor activation inhibits the pathological synchronization that subserves absence seizures.
In conclusion, our result might be useful for the identification of future drug therapies in absence epilepsy.”
