Potassium dynamics and seizures: Why is potassium ictogenic?
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Updated: Feb 11, 2026

Metal-free Synthesis of Ynones from Acyl Chlorides and Potassium Alkynyltrifluoroborate Salts
Published on: February 24, 2015
Marco de Curtis1, Laura Uva1, Vadym Gnatkovsky1
1Epilepsy Unit, Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, 20133, Milano, Italy.
Abstract:
Potassium channels dysfunction and altered genes encoding for molecules involved in potassium homeostasis have been associated with human epilepsy. These observations are in agreement with a control role of extracellular potassium on neuronal excitability and seizure generation. Epileptiform activity, in turn, regulates potassium homeostasis through mechanisms that are still not well established. We review here how potassium-associated processes are regulated in the brain and examine the mechanisms that support the role of potassium in triggering epileptiform activities.
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