The epilepsy phenotype of KCNK4-related neurodevelopmental disease

Potassium ion channels play a crucial role in maintaining cellular electrical stability and are implicated in various epilepsies. Heterozygous pathogenic variants in KCNK4 cause a recognizable neurodevelopmental syndrome with facial dysmorphism, hypertrichosis, epilepsy, intellectual disability (ID), and gingival overgrowth (FHEIG). To date, no more than nine patients with FHEIG have been described worldwide and still little is known about epileptic phenotype in KCNK4-related disease.

We identified a novel de novo p.(Gly139Arg) variant in KCNK4 in a patient with drug-resistant nocturnal seizures, mild ID, and dysmorphic features. In silico analyses of the variant strongly suggest a gain-of-function effect. We conducted a retrospective review of previously published cases, focusing on the epileptic features and response to various treatments.

To date, epilepsy has been reported in 8/10 patients with KCNK4-related disease. The mean age of seizure onset was 1.8 years, and the most common seizure type was focal to bilateral tonic-clonic (5/8). Sodium channel blockers and valproate were effective in the majority of patients, but in 3/8 the epilepsy was drug-resistant. Our patient showed improved seizure control after treatment with the carbonic anhydrase inhibitor sulthiame. Interestingly, the patient showed features of peripheral nerve hyperexcitability syndrome, a phenomenon not previously described in potassium channelopathies caused by increased K+ conductance.

Gain-of-function variants in KCNK4 cause a spectrum of epilepsies, ranging from benign isolated epilepsy to epileptic encephalopathy, with focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures being the most commonly observed. Importantly, a subgroup of patients present with a mild extra-neurological phenotype without characteristic facial dysmorphism or generalized hypertrichosis. This report expands the phenotypic spectrum of KNCK4-associated disease and provides new insights into the clinical heterogeneity of this rare neurodevelopmental syndrome.