2022. In December, our blog passed an important milestone – one million views. Given that Beyond the Ion Channel is a niche blog on epilepsy genetics and pediatric neurogenetics, this is a milestone that we are proud of. In the current post, we would like to examine some of the trends on what people read on our blog. Given that this resource has been around for more than a decade, the topics and genes that people searched for reflect some interesting patterns in the field that may tell us about how information on genetic epilepsy is presented online and what we need to do better. Here are top five most frequently read posts, including some topics that surprised us. Continue reading
Tag Archives: KCNT1
Precision medicine is instructive when it fails
KCNT1. This is my third blog post on our precision medicine review by Knowles and collaborators. In this post, I wanted to review the experience with precision medicine in the epilepsy community since the initial precision medicine road map that we published in 2015. Here is a quick summary of why the community’s experience with quinidine was an important lesson for the future. No, it did not fail, it simply revealed a weakness in the way we introduce repurposed medications into clinical practice and how we think about them. Continue reading
This was epilepsy genetics in 2021 – five things to remember
Looking back. Admittedly, I have not written an end-of-the-year review for a quite some time. However, there were a few notable moments in epilepsy genetics in 2021 that I think were worth remembering. The second year of the COVID-19 pandemic started out as a year of recovery and readjustment, only to run into unanticipated supply chain issues and novel COVID variants hanging over our transition into 2022. The scientific community was affected by these developments in different ways that made progress of science somewhat unpredictable and uneven. 2021 was the year when the phrase “unprecedented times” became stale and overused. Here are five things to remember from 2021, which will be remembered as part of a transitional phase in epilepsy genetics. Continue reading
Three novel aspects about epilepsy gene panels
Gene panels. Epilepsy gene panels have emerged as the first line genetic test for most suspected genetic epilepsies. Gene panels for childhood epilepsies are among the most common genetic tests ordered in a pediatric setting. While the role of gene panel testing is well established, the ideal design of gene panels remains an ongoing issue. A recent publication in the Journal of Medical Genetics provides additional evidence for the role of gene panel analysis in patients with genetic epilepsies. There are three aspects of this study that are particularly noteworthy. Continue reading
What’s new with KCNT1 – a 2016 update
Continued expansion of the KCNT1 phenotype. In 2012, de novo heterozygous KCNT1 variants were first described in six individuals with migrating partial seizures of infancy (MPSI) (Barcia et al, 2012). In the same edition of Nature Genetics, Heron and colleagues (2012) described 3 families with frontal lobe epilepsy with prominent psychiatric features were also identified to have heterozygous disease-causing variants in KCNT1. Within the last 5 years, de novo and inherited heterozygous KCNT1 variants have been found in a number of patients with MPSI and ADNFLE. Yet, there have been no clear genotype-phenotype correlations established. Recently, several studies have identified KCNT1 variants in patients with other types of epilepsy. Keep reading to learn more about the expansion of the KCNT1-associated epilepsy phenotype. Continue reading
Publications of the week: Genetic attribution and stigma, SCN2A, WDR45
Issue 13/2015. Our pick for the publications of the week includes a recent publication on the felt stigma of epilepsy and genetic attribution. We also review a major publication on the broadening spectrum of SCN2A related epilepsies and one of the first reports of WDR45 mutations in male patients with epileptic encephalopathy.
This is what you should know about KCNT1 – a 2015 update
Dual phenotypes. When KCNT1 was first described as a gene for Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy in 2012, it wasn’t just a novel gene for epileptic encephalopathies. In parallel, the same gene was found to underlie a novel subtype of autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsies (ADNFLE). At the time, this left us scratching our heads how a gene could cause such distinct, but entirely separate phenotypes. In a recent publication in Epilepsia, Møller and collaborators revisit the phenotypic spectrum of KCNT1. They find that both phenotypes can occur within a single family and that KCNT1 mutations can result in other phenotypes, adding to the mystery of KCNT1. Continue reading
Beyond the Ion Channel – and back
Where do all the ion channels come from? I would like to start off with a brief commentary about the current state of gene discovery in human epilepsy. Some of our readers rightfully took offense to my previous statement that gene discovery in epilepsy it over – quite the contrary is true, and I apologize for any confusion that I may have caused. Gene discovery in epilepsy is one of the few areas of human genetics with an ongoing, rapid sequence of gene discovery with a tremendous translational potential. But we also need to reconsider the name of this blog – we are far from being beyond the ion channel. The ion channel concept has made a remarkable return in human epilepsy genetics. Let’s find out why. Continue reading
Five unexpected things I realized at AES this year
Seattle 2014. This year, the 68th Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society was held in Seattle. While much of the scientific content of AES is still under publication embargo and will be the topic of our next post, here are five unexpected things I learned at AES this year. Continue reading
Publications of the week – DOCK7, DEPDC5 and the yield of diagnostic gene panels
This week in epilepsy genetics. The following publications are a selection of what was published in the last week. These studies might be relevant for you because they both extend the phenotype of recent gene findings and describe novel genes that you should be aware of. Continue reading
