Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
2010-6-14
pubmed:abstractText
It is well established that idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs) show a polygenic origin and may arise from dysfunction of various types of voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels. There is an increasing body of literature implicating both high- and low-voltage-activated (HVA and LVA) calcium channels and their ancillary subunits in IGEs. Cav2.1 (P/Q-type) calcium channels control synaptic transmission at presynaptic nerve terminals, and mutations in the gene encoding the Cav2.1 alpha1 subunit (CACNA1A) have been linked to absence seizures in both humans and rodents. Similarly, mutations and loss of function mutations in ancillary HVA calcium channel subunits known to co-assemble with Cav2.1 result in IGE phenotypes in mice. It is important to note that in all these mouse models with mutations in HVA subunits, there is a compensatory increase in thalamic LVA currents which likely leads to the seizure phenotype. In fact, gain-of-function mutations have been identified in Cav3.2 (an LVA or T-type calcium channel encoded by the CACNA1H gene) in patients with congenital forms of IGEs, consistent with increased excitability of neurons as a result of enhanced T-type channel function. In this paper, we provide a broad overview of the roles of voltage-gated calcium channels, their mutations, and how they might contribute to the river that terminates in epilepsy.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jul
pubmed:issn
1432-2013
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
460
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
395-403
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2010
pubmed:articleTitle
Role of voltage-gated calcium channels in epilepsy.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 4N1, Canada.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Review, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural