This project will test the hypothesis that stress response markers and behavioural changes can predict chronic disease outcomes—specifically for epilepsy—in Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV)-induced encephalitis. The long-term goal is to improve characterisation of epileptogenesis and identify biomarkers that indicate optimal therapeutic windows to prevent or modify disease progression after CNS viral infections.

To align with 3R principles, the project will include:

• Use peripheral blood markers instead of invasive brain immunohistology
• Apply AI-assisted behavioural analysis in place of long-term EEG recordings
• Reduce animal numbers in chronic studies by identifying epileptic animals early, before chronic seizures occur, using blood and behavioural biomarkers

Additionally, TMEV-induced neuronal changes will be studied to assess their predictive value for epilepsy onset.