Application of the method of pharmacoencephalography for the assessment of neuroprotective drug activity

The search and study of new neuroprotective agents is an urgent task of biomedical research. Due to the low translational potential of the results of experimental and preclinical studies, new approaches are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of new compounds that have a positive effect on vascular or traumatic brain lesions. The method of pharmacoencephalography (pharmaco-EEG) is one of the neurophysiological research methods that allows you to assess the functional state of the brain in terms of its bioelectrical activity. Despite the need for surgical intervention, pharmaco-EEG in experimental neuroscience has several advantages over traditionally used behavioral tests, as well as biochemical or molecular genetic methods. This review considers examples of the use of this method to assess the neuroprotective activity of drugs in models of traumatic brain injury and stroke in rodents. However, based on the results of published studies, it can be concluded that pharmaco-EEG is a sensitive method for assessing the effects of drugs on the course of pathological processes in brain damage in rats and can be considered as a useful addition to traditional experimental approaches.