BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Epilepsy narrows down

September 5, 2013 7:00 AM UTC

A spate of human genetic studies has shed light on the root causes of idiopathic focal epilepsy, a common childhood form of the disease. The studies suggest that a group of epilepsies and encephalopathies marked by seizures and language and learning disorders can result from mutations in NMDAR subunits.

Because some of the epilepsy-associated mutations appear to cause excessive NMDAR activity, the findings build a case for testing receptor subunit-selective antagonists to treat idiopathic focal epilepsy and possibly other forms of epilepsy...