Schematic of epileptogenesis. After an initial insult (such as status epilepticus, trauma or stroke), chronic epilepsy develops during a latent period without seizures. This process is called epileptogenesis. It is induced and maintained by many factors, some as yet unidentified, including inflammatory and epigenetic mechanisms. The goal of anti-epileptogenic treatment is to intervene as early as possible to stop or at least attenuate the process of epileptogenesis. This is in contrast to currently available anti-epileptic drugs, which only suppress seizures ‘symptomatically’ in the phase of chronic epilepsy.