Protocol to record and quantify absence seizures in rats using EEG arrays

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomedical Engineering
• Epilepsy Research

Background:

• Epilepsy research in rodents requires precise electrophysiological monitoring.
• Absence seizures are a significant area of study in epilepsy.
• Existing methods may have limitations in long-term, brain-wide monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a detailed protocol for implanting 32-channel NeuroNexus skull-surface electroencephalogram (EEG) arrays in rats.
• To describe the surgical implantation procedure and automated offline seizure detection.
• To enable comprehensive, multi-day electrophysiological monitoring for studying epilepsy and seizure dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Surgical implantation of 32-channel NeuroNexus EEG arrays on the skull surface of rats.
• Recording electroencephalogram (EEG) data using Open Ephys system.
• Automated offline detection algorithms for identifying seizure-like events.

Main Results:

• Successful implantation of EEG arrays allowing for recording of absence seizure-like events.
• Demonstration of automated offline detection of seizures from recorded EEG data.
• Establishment of a method for brain-wide, multi-day electrophysiological monitoring in rodents.

Conclusions:

• The presented protocol provides a reliable method for long-term electrophysiological monitoring in rats.
• This approach facilitates the study of epilepsy and seizure dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution.
• The protocol is valuable for advancing research into rodent models of absence epilepsy.