title: Are alterations in transmitter receptor and ion channel expression responsible for epilepsies?
abstract: Neuronal voltage-gated ion channels and ligand-gated synaptic receptors play a critical role in maintaining the delicate balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition within neuronal networks in the brain. Changes in expression of voltage-gated ion channels, in particular sodium, hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) and calcium channels, and ligand-gated synaptic receptors, in particular GABA and glutamate receptors, have been reported in many types of both genetic and acquired epilepsies, in animal models and in humans. In this chapter we review these and discuss the potential pathogenic role they may play in the epilepsies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, 4th Floor Clinical Sciences Building, Royal Parade, Parkville, 3050, VIC, Australia, kpowell@unimelb.edu.au.
authors.forename: Kim L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lukasiuk
authors.forename: Terence J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Asla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pitkänen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D015640:Ion Channel Gating; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007473:Ion Channels; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate