The OMIM epileptic encephalopathy genes – a 2014 review

EIEE1-19. Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is one of the most frequently accessed online databases for information on genetic disorders. Genes for epileptic encephalopathies are organized within a phenotypic series entitled Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy (EIEE). The EIEE phenotypic series currently lists 19 genes (EIEE1-19). Let’s review the evidence for these genes as of 2014. Continue reading

SLC25A22, migrating seizures and mitochrondial glutamate deficiency

MPSI. Migrating partial seizures of infancy (MPSI) are a catastrophic form of infantile epilepsy that was entirely unexplained until de novo mutations in KCNT1 were identified in a subset of sporadic cases in 2012. For familial MPSI, however, the genetic basis remained unknown. In a recent publication in Annals of Neurology, Poduri and collaborators identify mutations in SCL25A22 in a family with recessive MPSI. Their study sheds light on the genetic basis of catastrophic epilepsies and the phenotypic range of mitochondrial glutamate starvation. Continue reading