Evaluation of variation in preclinical electroencephalographic (EEG) spectral power across multiple laboratories and experiments: An EQIPD study.

The European Quality In Preclinical Data (EQIPD) consortium was born from the fact that publications report challenges with the robustness, rigor, and/or validity of research data, which may impact decisions about whether to proceed with further preclinical testing or to advance to clinical testing, as well as draw conclusions on the predictability of preclinical models. To address this, a consortium including multiple research laboratories from academia and industry participated in a series of electroencephalography (EEG) experiments in mice aimed to detect sources of variance and to gauge how protocol harmonisation and data analytics impact such variance. Ultimately, the goal of this first ever between-laboratory comparison of EEG recordings and analyses was to validate the principles that supposedly increase data quality, robustness, and comparability.

A systematic assessment of robustness in CNS safety pharmacology.

Background And Purpose: Irwin tests are key preclinical study elements for characterising drug-induced neurological side effects. This multicentre study aimed to assess the robustness of Irwin tests across multinational sites during three stages of protocol harmonisation. The projects were part of the Enhanced Quality in Preclinical Data framework, aiming to increase success rates in transition from preclinical testing to clinical application.

An exploratory approach to identify microRNAs as circulatory biomarker candidates for epilepsy-associated psychiatric comorbidities in an electrical post-status epilepticus model.

Patients with epilepsy have a high risk of developing psychiatric comorbidities, and there is a particular need for early detection of these comorbidities. Here, in an exploratory, hypothesis-generating approach, we aimed to identify microRNAs as potential circulatory biomarkers for epilepsy-associated psychiatric comorbidities across different rat models of epilepsy. The identification of distress-associated biomarkers can also contribute to animal welfare assessment.

Systematic assessment of the replicability and generalizability of preclinical findings: Impact of protocol harmonization across laboratory sites.

The influence of protocol standardization between laboratories on their replicability of preclinical results has not been addressed in a systematic way. While standardization is considered good research practice as a means to control for undesired external noise (i.e.

Hippocampal and Septal 5-HT Receptor Expression in Two Rat Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Experimental and clinical data suggest an impact of serotonergic signaling on seizure susceptibility and epilepsy-associated psychiatric comorbidities. Previous µPET studies revealed increased binding of the 5-HT receptor ligand [F]MPPF in two rat models with spontaneous recurrent seizures. These findings raised the question whether these alterations are due to altered 5-HT receptor expression or a modification of extracellular serotonin concentrations.