PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Matthew T. Dinday AU - Scott C. Baraban TI - Large-Scale Phenotype-Based Antiepileptic Drug Screening in a Zebrafish Model of Dravet Syndrome AID - 10.1523/ENEURO.0068-15.2015 DP - 2015 Jul 01 TA - eneuro PG - ENEURO.0068-15.2015 VI - 2 IP - 4 4099 - http://www.eneuro.org/content/2/4/ENEURO.0068-15.2015.short 4100 - http://www.eneuro.org/content/2/4/ENEURO.0068-15.2015.full SO - eneuro2015 Jul 01; 2 AB - Mutations in a voltage-gated sodium channel (SCN1A) result in Dravet Syndrome (DS), a catastrophic childhood epilepsy. Zebrafish with a mutation in scn1Lab recapitulate salient phenotypes associated with DS, including seizures, early fatality, and resistance to antiepileptic drugs. To discover new drug candidates for the treatment of DS, we screened a chemical library of ∼1000 compounds and identified 4 compounds that rescued the behavioral seizure component, including 1 compound (dimethadione) that suppressed associated electrographic seizure activity. Fenfluramine, but not huperzine A, also showed antiepileptic activity in our zebrafish assays. The effectiveness of compounds that block neuronal calcium current (dimethadione) or enhance serotonin signaling (fenfluramine) in our zebrafish model suggests that these may be important therapeutic targets in patients with DS. Over 150 compounds resulting in fatality were also identified. We conclude that the combination of behavioral and electrophysiological assays provide a convenient, sensitive, and rapid basis for phenotype-based drug screening in zebrafish mimicking a genetic form of epilepsy.