THE EFFECT OF PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO ANTIEPILEPTIC THERAPY ON THE NEUROLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

The object of the research is studying indicators of neurological development under prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs, using rodents as experimental animals, and human subjects. Fetal motor development would be assessed by ultrasound, and postnatal studies would include postural and neurobehavioral development. Additionally, any pathohistological changes in the nervous system would be evaluated. Characteristics of neurological and neurobehavioral development, as well as pathohistological and immunocytochemical characteristic, would be compared between rodents, such as mice, rats, hamsters, born completely dependent on mother, and guinea pigs, which are born with completely mature motor function. This comparison would provide insights into how antiepileptics exhibit their effects in relation to the stage of development of the nervous system. Any possible changes in human subjects would be compared with experimental rodents. Expected results are determination of the patterns of CNS changes caused with antiepileptic drugs in relation with developmental stage of rodents and establishing correlation with effects of antiepileptic drugs on human fetus. Study would provide information on the effects of different combinations of antiepileptic polytherapy and the safest combination. In this way our basic knowledge on the subject would be enlarged, which would enable prevention of adverse effects of antiepileptic therapy on the fetus in human pregnancies.