List of contributors; General introduction Philip A. Schwartzkroin; Part I. Chronic Models in Intact Animals - Concepts and Questions: Introduction; 1. The kindling model of epilepsy James O. McNamara, Douglas W. Bonhaus and Cheolsu Shin; 2. Focal trigger zones and pathways of propagation in seizure generation Karen Gale; 3. Genetic models of the epilepsies Phillip C. Jobe, Pravin K. Mishra, Nandor Ludvig and John W. Dailey; 4. Noradrenergic modulation of excitability: transplantation approaches to epilepsy research Olle Lindvall; 5. Sensitivity of the immature central nervous system to epileptogenic stimuli Solomon L. Moshé, Patric K. Stanton and Ellen F. Sperber; Part II. Features of the Epileptogenic Brain: Introduction; 6. Neurophysiological studies of alterations in seizure susceptibility during brain development John. W. Swann, Karen L. Smith, Robert J. Brady and Martha G. Pierson; 7. Electrophysiology and pharmacology of human neocortex and hippocampus in vitro Massimo Avoli; 8. Cell death, plasticity and epilepsy: insights provided by experimental models of hippocampal sclerosis JoAnn E. Franck; 9. Sprouting as an underlying cause of hyperexcitability in experimental models and in the human epileptic temporal lobe Thomas P. Sutula; 10. Rapidly recurring seizures and status epilepticus: ictal density as a factor in epileptogenesis Eric W. Lothman, Janet L. Stringer and Edward H. Bertram; Part III. 'Normal' Brain Mechanisms That Support Epileptiform Activities: Introduction; 11. Brain slice models for the study of seizures and interictal spikes Wilkie A. Wilson and Andrew Bragdon; 12. Generation of epileptiform discharge by local circuits of neocortex Barry W. Connors and Yael Amitai; 13. Study of GABAergic inhibition and GABAA receptors in experimental epilepsy Robert K. S. Wong and Richard Miles; 14. High potassium-induced synchronous bursts and electrographic seizures Christopher J. McBain, Stephen F. Traynelis and Raymond Dingledine; 15. Anti-epileptic effects of organic calcium channel blockers in animal experiments Erwin-Josef Speckmann and Jörg Walden; Recent advances; Index.