(1) The replication method involves raising Mongolian sand rats that are sensitive to attacks in separate cages and allowing them to freely eat and drink water. In addition to general hygiene requirements, indoor spaces should be kept quiet, and no noise or movement of cages should be made when providing food to prevent seizures. Measure the intensity of seizures once a week. During the measurement, simply pick up the cage, gently shake it, or take it out of the cage and place it on a table to trigger seizures. Record the severity of seizures. After an attack, there is a latent period of 3-5 days, during which any stimulation does not cause an attack.
(2) The degree of animal seizures in the model can be divided into six levels: level 0, no seizures, normal activity; Level 1, nasal hair and eyelid twitching, ears resting on the back, movement stopped; Level 2, the animal's body is crouched down, with mild spasms in the forelimbs and occasional generalized twitching; Level 3, the animal crouches up in a kangaroo posture, with both forelimbs twitching and grabbing contact objects; Level 4, generalized spasms with tonic seizures accompanied by unconscious movements; Level 5, with a few animals experiencing tonic convulsions and dying. The entire attack process lasts for 40-50 seconds. Design a medication regimen according to research needs, observe and compare the intensity of animal seizures.
(3) Comparative medicine Mongolian sand rats are rodents of the subfamily Murinae in the genus Vole, and are a versatile experimental animal. Skilled in jumping and standing upright, the natural seizure rate of epilepsy is as high as 20% to 30%. When Mongolian sand rats sensitive to seizures are selected for inbreeding and reproduction, after several generations of inbreeding, a purebred genetic epilepsy model can be obtained, with a natural seizure rate of over 95%. Seizures begin at 2 months after birth, peak at around 3 months, and last a lifetime thereafter. The mechanism of this type of epilepsy is still unclear, as it is currently unknown which genes have undergone mutations, mainly related to genetics.
Due to the 3-5 day incubation period after a single attack and the possibility of triggering an attack during capture, it poses some challenges for research work. When designing experiments, it is necessary to consider these unfavorable conditions. It is best to make the drug into a solution for natural oral use, but this may affect the correct judgment of the results due to differences in the amount of water consumed by the animals.