title: Altered brain sodium channel transcript levels in human epilepsy.
abstract: Normal, and perhaps pathological, characteristics of neuronal excitability are related to the distribution and density of voltage-gated ion channels such as the sodium channel. We studied normal and epileptic human brain using the ligase detection reaction to measure the relative quantities of mRNAs encoding sodium channel subtypes 1 and 2. Normal brains exhibited characteristic 1:2 ratios which varied by brain region, but the ratios were invariate among individuals. These normal values were altered as much as threefold in anatomically corresponding regions of epileptic brain tissues. Changes of this magnitude in such a highly conserved value support a potential role for sodium channels in the pathophysiology of epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294-0017, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuzniecky
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Powers
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D009928:Organ Specificity; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017966:Pyramidal Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012016:Reference Values; D015222:Sodium Channels / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000145:classification; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015222:Sodium Channels