Gene mutation leads to epileptic encephalopathy symptoms, neuron death in mice

Illinois postdoctoral researcher Eung Chang Kim (seated left) and professor Hee Jung Chung (standing right) in Chung Lab.
Mice with a genetic mutation that’s been observed in patients with epileptic encephalopathy, a severe form of congenital epilepsy, exhibit not only the seizure, developmental and behavioral symptoms of the disorder, but also neural degeneration and inflammation in the brain, University of Illinois...

Study offers insight into underlying causes of seizure disorder in babies

Graphics comparing impair and improved gene Nedd4-2.
Researchers report that infantile spasms, a rare but serious seizure disorder in babies, appear to be the result of a molecular pathway gone awry. In their study of a mouse model of the disorder, the researchers discovered that genetic mutations associated with the disease impair a pathway that is...