Galanin mutations in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

Transmitted. When we think about epilepsy-related neurotransmitters, we often limit ourselves to the most prominent transmitters in the Central Nervous System, namely glutamate, GABA and to some extent acetylcholine. However, besides these classical transmitters, there are more than 100 small peptides released in the mammalian brain, which are referred to neuropeptides. Here is the story of galanin, the first neuropeptide in epilepsy genetics. Continue reading

2013 in review: top three lists and the gene finding of the year

Gene of the year. Let’s take a minute to look back at the very busy year of 2013. There were major advances in many areas of epilepsy genetics. First and foremost, massive (and I mean massive) progress has been made in the genetics of the epileptic encephalopathies, where de novo mutations have been identified as a major source of genetic morbidity. Secondly, the new technologies have made it possible to identify several novel genes for various epilepsy types. Out of these genes, we have again selected the most important finding in 2013. And the gene finding of the year is… Continue reading