Epilepsy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epilepsy, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, drugs, information.

Genetics of epilepsies.

Andrade DM, Minassian BA

University of Toronto, Division of Neurology, Krembil Neuroscience Centre, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada. danielle.andrade@uhn.on.ca

Epilepsy affects almost 1% of the population, and yet the pathophysiology of this disorder is unknown in the majority of the cases. Recently, a number of mutations in different genes were identified, mostly in cases of familial epilepsy with a Mendelian mode of inheritance. The majority of these genes code for voltage- or ligand-gated ion channels. Interestingly, not only generalized epilepsies, but also focal epilepsies were shown to be caused by mutated genes, which in some cases are expressed ubiquitously in the brain. This review will focus on the monogenic familial epilepsies and the clinical and molecular aspects of these diseases.

Published 12 June 2007 in Expert Rev Neurother, 7(6): 727-34.
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