Prior to global expression profiling, laboratory research was being driven by theories and hypotheses developed from meticulously analyzed pathways or the occasional spontaneous brain wave. The formulation of these theories in the history of epilepsy research have resulted in much interest in the neural imbalance of excitatory/inhibitory control, or the involvement of ionic channels and aberrant neuronal synapses in the epileptogenic processes (97) . Indeed, numerous laboratories have published insightful papers documenting a net excitatory imbalance in MTLE models (14, 22, 84) . More recently two microarray studies revealed confirmatory findings with the downregulation of gamma-aminobutyric acid-associated receptors and the upregulation of glutamate-associated receptors in the kainite model of epileptogenesis as well as chronic human MTLE (3, 44) . What is not evident in the literature are the situations where there have been failed hypotheses resulting in a laboratory and scientific losses in terms of time, personnel and finance. The use of global profiling platforms to guide hypotheses may be a viable option to minimize these situations.