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Updated: Mar 28, 2026
Author Spotlight: Insights into the Techniques and Findings of Recent Advancements in Epilepsy Research
Published on: October 13, 2023
The Role of Calcium Channels in Epilepsy
Sanjeev Rajakulendran1, Michael G Hanna1
1UCL-Institute of Neurology, MRC Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Queen Square, London WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
A central theme in the quest to unravel the genetic basis of epilepsy has been the effort to elucidate the roles played by inherited defects in ion channels. The ubiquitous expression of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) throughout the central nervous system (CNS), along with their involvement in fundamental processes, such as neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission, has made them attractive candidates. Recent insights provided by the identification of mutations in the P/Q-type calcium channel in humans and rodents with epilepsy and the finding of thalamic T-type calcium channel dysfunction in the absence of seizures have raised expectations of a causal role of calcium channels in the polygenic inheritance of idiopathic epilepsy. In this review, we consider how genetic variation in neuronal VGCCs may influence the development of epilepsy.
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