MMP9 and epilepsy: Our results demonstrate that MMP-9 indeed plays a role in post-stroke epileptogenesis, by virtue of the enzyme activation by MCAO and findings that genetically modified MMP-9 levels (either gene knockout or gene overexpression) affect a seizure threshold following a chemoconvulsant (pentylenetetrazol, PTZ) treatment that is one of the widely recognized measures of susceptibility to develop epilepsy.