Pushing the boundary – 27 novel epilepsy genes in the 2017 DDD study

DDD. On January 25, the most recent publication of the Deciphering Developmental Disorders (DDD) study appeared online in Nature. This unprecedented study analyzed the data of 4,293 patient-parent trios with existing data from 3,287 published trios to identify de novo mutations in neurodevelopmental disorders. A study of this size has many aspects that are difficult to fully cover within the limited space of a journal article. Browsing through the data is interesting and will be the foundation for many studies utilizing this data in the near future. Within this first comprehensive blog post of 2017, I try to answer the question what this study means for the field of epilepsy genetics. For example, it provides us with more than 20 epilepsy genes that we did not know about so far. Continue reading

The Cavatica experience – running epilepsy exomes in the cloud

End of the year. The final weeks of the year are always a time when my curiosity for bioinformatics takes over. Four years ago, I was trying to teach myself sufficient command line and bioinformatics to run Denovogear on my computer. Now the field has moved on, from command line language to solutions that aim at bringing data closer to researchers. I hijacked a platform that was initially built for cancer research, CHOP’s Cavatica platform that was developed with Seven Bridges Genomics. In the same way as a few years ago, I started out with a simple question: Can I take an exome completely apart and then re-analyze it to find the SCN1A mutation in DRA1? Continue reading

FOXG1 – an epilepsy gene involved in brain development

Forkhead. In our Epilepsiome series we are reviewing all major epilepsy genes. This week, we discuss FOXG1, a gene previously described as the cause for a congenital variant of Rett Syndrome. However, since its initial discovery in 2008, a much broader spectrum has been recognized. FOXG1 syndrome typically includes developmental delay and microcephaly. Many patients have severe, early-onset epilepsy and a prominent hyperkinetic movement disorder. In addition, some patients have brain malformations. Here is a brief introduction to our Epilepsiome review of FOXG1, an epilepsy gene that stands out from other causes of genetic epilepsies given its prominent role in forebrain development.

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MECP2 – Rett Syndrome in the era of exome-first studies

Rett. We have written very little about MECP2 on Beyond the Ion Channel. MECP2 is the gene for Rett Syndrome, a neurodegenerative disorder almost exclusively affecting females. Classical Rett Syndrome is characterized by developmental regression in the first two years of life and the development of distinctive hand movements, which historically led to Rett Syndrome being considered a recognizable entity. This blog post is the introduction to our MECP2 Epilepsiome page. However, in 2016, a time when many genes are re-defined by exome studies, I was wondering whether Rett Syndrome is still the classical syndrome that I initially learned about.

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ALG13 – rethinking the glycosylation code

The sugar code. Many proteins in the human body undergo post-translational modification. A common mechanism to modify the function of proteins is a process called glycosylation, the adding of carbohydrate residues to protein. Glycosylation is probably the most complex post-translational modification, critically important to various physiological functions and therefore tightly regulated in cells. Accordingly, genetic disorders that interfere with glycosylation may present as severe, multisystem disorders. However, it is increasingly recognized that many congenital disorders of glycosylation have an exclusively neurological phenotype. Here is an update on ALG13 epileptic encephalopathy, a recently identified disease entity that may account for up to 2% of Infantile Spasms in females. Continue reading

A clinician’s guide to genetic test selection: navigating the Wild West

The Wild West. The diagnostic genetic testing landscape in 2016 is a paradox. In theory genetic testing has never been more widely available clinically, with over 20 diagnostic laboratories in the US alone offering a variety of genetic testing options for patients with epilepsy, ranging from single gene testing to NGS panels to whole exome sequencing. However, access to and reimbursement of genetic services varies widely, with no consensus on an approach to testing or professional guidelines to aide clinicians. Here is our brief guide to epilepsy genetic test selection for busy clinicians. Continue reading

ALDH7A1 beyond pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy – a 2016 overview

Pyridoxine. I still remember when I learned about vitamin B6 deficient epilepsy in medical school. One of the residents quizzed me about the first medication to given to a seizing neonate. I suggested phenobarbital, but he shook his head and said “vitamin B6” – which was something that I had never really heard about before. Technically, pyridoxine is not the first-line treatment in neonatal seizures on most protocols, but vitamin-dependent epilepsies are always on the differential in newborns with seizures. Here are a few things about ALDH7A1 that are new in 2016. Continue reading

SNPs and CNVs in the Golden City – five things I learned in Prague

Prague. I am sitting in my hotel in Dublin on my way back to Philadelphia, trying to collect my thoughts on last week’s European Epilepsy Congress in Prague. For both Katie and me, it was great to catch up with our colleagues from Europe and Australia. For our European RES consortium, this meeting was an important inflection point – in fact, three years after the end of the funding period, RES is alive and kicking. Here are the five things I learned in the City of the Hundred Spires. Continue reading

KCNA2 – an epilepsy gene in hereditary spastic paraplegia

HSP. I have to admit that the hereditary spastic paraplegias are not mentioned all that frequently on our blog.  The main reason is that there is little overlap between early-onset epilepsies and adult-onset progressive neurodegenerative conditions that are characterized by spasticity and weakness in the lower extremities. In a recent publication, we described an epilepsy gene that became an HSP gene, showing an unusual overlap between both groups of conditions and establishing a novel mechanism in HSP pathogenesis. Here is a continuation of the KCNA2 story. Continue reading