Seizure-suppressor genes: can they help spearhead the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for epilepsy?

Special Issue: “Recent Advances in Ion Channels and Ion Channelopathies”

“…Neurological ion channels are likely to play a role in homeostatic mechanisms associated with membrane excitability, with ion channelopathies likely to first present in childhood [6]. One disorder, epilepsy, is often characterised by focal and generalised seizures, which may be the result of ion channel dysfunction [7]. Several epilepsy associated genes have been identified in humans, and research by Rychov et al (contribution 2) and Mazzaferro et al (contribution 3) demonstrate a role of K+ channel subfamily T member 1 (KCNT1) and the α4β2 neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, respectively in this disorder.…”