The Anticonvulsant Screening Program of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH: History and Contributions to Clinical Care in the Twentieth Century and Beyond

The anticonvulsant screening program (ASP) of the national institute of neurological disorders and stroke (NINDS), National Institutes of Health has made substantial contributions to the drug armamentarium of the clinical neurologist. This program, originally a part of the overall Drug Development Program of the Epilepsy Branch, has been fortunate to have talented leadership, both at NINDS in Maryland and at the major contract site, the University of Utah–over a remarkable period of more than 40 years. Future discoveries by the ASP (now renamed the Epilepsy Therapy Screening) can be expected to make additional contributions to improving the health of persons with epilepsy.