News Topics: Genetics

Inflammation in Genetic Epilepsy

Summary, originally published in Epilepsia

Brain inflammation plays a role in human epilepsy, but most studies have focused on acquired epilepsies, such as those due to head trauma, viral infection or other insults. Neuroinflammation has never been reported in genetic epilepsy associated with ion channel gene mutations.

Jing-Qiong (Katty) Kang, MD, PhD, and colleagues previously characterized how mutations in the gene encoding a GABA-A receptor subunit — part of an ion channel that blunts excitatory signaling — contribute to epileptogenesis in mouse models.

They now report in the journal Epilepsia that mice with a particular GABA-A receptor subunit mutation (a model for the genetic epilepsy Dravet syndrome) have increased levels of proinflammatory factors in the brain, but not in the plasma. They found increased neuroinflammation in multiple brain regions and throughout different developmental stages and showed that it was independent of seizure occurrence.

This research was supported by grants from Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, Dravet Syndrome Foundation, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, and National Institutes of Health (NS082635, TR002243). 

CHOP Researchers Characterize Shared Pathways in Epilepsy and Autism

Summary, originally published in CHOP News

In a new paper published in Scientific Reports, researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have identified and characterized genetic pathways shared by epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), two heterogenous brain disorders. Further exploration of the findings could lead to better, more personalized treatments for both conditions.

Epilepsy and ASD are two broad categories of brain disorders that overlap with surprising frequency. For example, some 30% of patients with ASD also have epilepsy, whereas the seizure disorder occurs in only 2-3% of the general population. While the reason for this overlap has not been identified, one hypothesis is that both conditions involve the disruption of shared neurodevelopmental pathways implicated by the relatively high number of genes associated with both disorders.

Certain biological pathways are involved in both disease processes, such as transcription regulation, cellular growth, and synaptic regulation, though the specific mechanisms involved are still unknown. Although previous studies have used network-based approaches to identify pathways and genes implicated in epilepsy and ASD, those studies have largely focused on protein-protein interactions or other types of biological networks in each condition in isolation, rather than examining how the conditions relate to one another. Prior studies also have not focused on networks based on gene-phenotype associations – that is, how the implicated genes relate to how the disease presents clinically.

Mechanism Connects Epilepsy and Enzyme Deficiency

Summary, originally published in JCI Insight

Researchers from Kyushu University’s Medical Institute of Bioregulation in collaboration with Nihon University, Yasuda Woman’s University, and Nagoya University now report a better understanding of a mechanism causing epilepsy in infants as the result of a deficiency of an enzyme known as inosine triphosphatase, or ITPA.

The new study could also give insight into possible risks for the 2% of the Japanese population in which both copies of the gene for ITPA produce versions with reduced activity.

Using mice that were genetically engineered such that ITPA production is disrupted only in the nervous system, the researchers found that ITPA deficiency led to a reduction in the negative charge inside the neurons when signals are not being sent, a phenomenon known as depolarization. This depolarization in turn results in frequent excitation of neurons and epileptic seizures in the mice.

The new results indicate that Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy 35 (EIEE35), a neurological disorder characterized by epileptic seizures and associated with deficiency of ITPA, may involve cell membranes becoming more excitable because of depolarization caused by ITPA deficiency.

Epilepsy Research News: January 2021

This month’s research news includes announcements about CURE Epilepsy’s Frontiers in Research seminar series, and an announcement from the CDC about an incidence and etiology funding opportunity.

We also share that the NINDS Clinical Trials Methodology Course is accepting applications, and that the deadline to apply to the National Science Foundation Enabling Discovery Through Genomics (EDGE) Program is March 16.

These news items are summarized below.

Research Highlights

CURE Epilepsy’s Frontiers in Research Seminar Series has gone virtual!

As part of our on-going commitment to supporting the research community through these difficult times, we are conducting our research seminar series virtually with the topics below. Mark your calendars!

The virtual Frontiers in Research Seminar Series is sponsored by the Nussenbaum-Vogelstein Family.

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CDC Epilepsy Incidence and Etiology Funding Opportunity Announcement
Projects are intended to inform incidence and social determinants of epilepsy including risk factors and protective factors that affect epilepsy incidence. Information about epilepsy incidence will provide invaluable information to help better guide interventions or services for preventing epilepsy, treating and rehabilitating people with epilepsy, and minimizing their health disparities and adverse outcomes.

Click here for details. Search opportunity number by RFA-DP-21-004 and SIP 21-007.

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NINDS Clinical Trials Methodology Course-Application Deadline February 28
The NINDS Clinical Trials Methodology Course (CTMC) is accepting applications for the 2021 cohort. The overarching goal of the CTMC is to help investigators develop scientifically rigorous, yet practical clinical trial protocols. The focus is on investigators who have not previously designed their own prospective, interventional clinical trials.

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National Science Foundation Enabling Discovery Through Genomics (EDGE) Program-Application Deadline March 16
The goal of the EDGE program is to provide support for genomic research and associated theory, approaches, tools, and infrastructure development to address the mechanistic basis of complex traits in diverse organisms within the context (environmental, developmental, social, and/or genomic) in which they function.

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Girls With Rett Have Higher Rate of Menstrual Seizures, Study Says

Summary, originally published in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

Girls and women with Rett syndrome may have increased rate of menstrual seizures, also known as catamenial seizures, compared to healthy females, a study reports.

Age of onset, and duration and flow of menstruation in girls and women with Rett were similar to healthy girls. Bone health concerns was one of the most common reasons for discontinuing hormonal treatment among those with Rett.

The study “Features of menstruation and menstruation management in individuals with Rett syndrome” was published in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology.

Epilepsy Research News: December 2020

This month’s research news includes announcements about the Curing the Epilepsies 2021 Conference, and a reminder about the Cure Epilepsy and Taking Flight grant letters of intent (LOIs).

We also share that the Health Disparities Research Institute will be accepting applications, and that the TESS Research Foundation is hiring.

These news items are summarized below.

Research Highlights

Curing the Epilepsies 2021 Conference–January 4-6, 2021

Please join the epilepsy community from around the world to discuss the progress made in understanding the biological mechanisms underlying the epilepsies, and the inroads being made towards potential cures.

The main outcome and priority of the meeting will be to identify transformative research priorities that will accelerate development of cures and improve outcomes for people with epilepsy. The meeting takes place from January 4-6, 2021. It will be open to the public and freely available via livestream.

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Understanding & Treating Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
A team of researchers has found that an amino acid produced by the brain could play a crucial role in preventing cell loss and seizures associated with temporal lobe epilepsy. Utilizing an animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy, the research team found that administration of the amino acid D-serine prevented cell loss characteristic of temporal lobe epilepsy and reduced the number and severity of seizures.

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CURE Epilepsy and Taking Flight Grant Timeline–Letter of Intent (LOI) due January 11, 2021 9 PM EST
Reminder, CURE Epilepsy is accepting LOIs for both the CURE Epilepsy and Taking Flight grant awards now through Monday, January 11, 2021 at 9 PM ET. Don’t miss your opportunity to be considered!

  • CURE Epilepsy Award, $250,000 over two years: This award reflects CURE Epilepsy’s continued focus on scientific advances that have potential to truly transform the lives of those affected by epilepsy.
  • Taking Flight Award, $100,000 for one year: This award seeks to promote the careers of young epilepsy investigators, allowing them to develop a research focus independent of their mentors.
  • Research areas: Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), acquired epilepsy, treatment-resistant epilepsy, pediatric epilepsy, and sleep and epilepsy

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2021 Health Disparities Research Institute–Accepting Applications February 1-March 8, 2021The next Health Disparities Research Institute–featuring lectures on minority health and health disparities research, mock grant review, seminars and more–will be held virtually August 9-13, 2021.

The program’s intent is to support early-career minority health/health disparities research scientists and stimulate research in the disciplines supported by health disparities science. Admission to this program is by application only. The application cycle is open February 1-March 8, 2021.

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Job Opportunity: Research Program Manager Position with TESS Research Foundation
Looking for an opportunity to make a difference in the area of rare epilepsies? The TESS Research Foundation is seeking a Research Program Manager to oversee all scientific research focused on SLC13A5 Epilepsy, including research coordination, grant program oversight, community outreach, and scientific communication and cultivation.

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Exploring Quality of Life in Individuals with a Severe Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy, CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder

Abstract, originally published in Epilepsy Research

Background: CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a mutation in the cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) gene. It is now considered to be a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy because of the early onset of seizures in association with severe global delay. Other features include cortical visual impairment, sleep and gastro-intestinal problems. Progress in clinical understanding, especially regarding the spectrum of functional ability, seizure patterns, and other comorbidities was initially slow but accelerated in 2012 with the establishment of the International CDKL5 Database (ICDD). Our aim was to use this data source to investigate quality of life (QOL) and associated factors in this disorder.

Method: A follow-up questionnaire was administered in 2018 to parents of children registered with the ICDD who had a pathogenic CDKL5 variant. QOL was assessed using QI Disability, an instrument, specifically developed to measure total and specific domains of QOL (physical health, positive emotions, negative emotions, social interaction, leisure and the outdoors (leisure) and independence) in children with intellectual disability. Associations with functional abilities, physical health, mental health and family factors were investigated, initially using univariate analyses followed by multivariate analyses for each of these groups with a final composite model which included the important variables identified from previous models.

Results: Questionnaires were returned by 129/160 families with a child aged >3 years. Functional impairment, including lack of ability to sit, use hands and communicate had the greatest adverse impact on QOL. There were also some relationships with major genotype groupings. Individuals using three or more anti-epileptic medications had poorer QOL than those on one or no medication, particularly in the physical health domain. There was also variation by geographical region with those living in North America typically having the best QOL and those living in middle or lower income countries poorer QOL.

Conclusion: Although lower functional abilities were associated with poorer quality of life, further research is needed to understand how environmental supports might mitigate this deficit. Comprehensive care and support for both the child and family have important roles to play in helping families to thrive despite the severity of CDD.

Epilepsy Research News: December 2020

In this month’s news, we spotlight a publication describing CURE Epilepsy’s Infantile Spasms (IS) Initiative, a collaborative research program that brought a team science approach to understanding the causes and potential treatments for IS. Running from 2013-2016, this program led to numerous advances in understanding the pathways in the brain involved in IS. 

Also, this month we feature news from the EPISTOP study showing that preventative treatment with the drug vigabatrin decreased the number of days with seizures as well as the severity of epilepsy in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex. We also highlight recent work from CURE Epilepsy Grantee Dr. Jeffrey Loeb, whose team identified a protein found in healthy brain tissue that may work to prevent the spread of seizures. 

These studies and more are summarized below. 

Research Highlights

Infantile Spasms
This recent publication highlights CURE Epilepsy’s Infantile Spasms (IS) Initiative, established in 2013 to support a collaborative, team science-based and milestone-driven effort to advance the understanding of causes of and potential treatments for IS. The combined efforts of the research team led to numerous advances in understanding the causes of IS. It also brought together a diverse group of investigators–who otherwise would not have collaborated–to study therapies for IS.

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Preventing the Spread of Seizures
New research may explain what prevents seizures in certain areas of the brain from spreading to other areas of the brain. In a study funded by the National Institutes of Health/American Epilepsy Society, CURE Epilepsy Grantee Dr. Jeffrey Loeb and his colleagues found that a protein called DUSP4 was increased in healthy brain tissue directly next to epileptic brain tissue. The research suggests that DUSP4 may work to prevent the spread of epilepsy in the brain and that boosting levels of DUSP4 could be a novel way of preventing or treating epilepsy.

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Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Treatment
Preventive treatment with vigabatrin effectively decreased the risk and severity of epilepsy in infants with tuberous sclerosis complex who were enrolled in the EPISTOP multi-center study. Vigabatrin resulted in a significantly longer time to first clinical seizure compared with conventional treatment as well as a lower proportion of days with seizures until age 2, according to the study findings. The “EPISTOP study has shown that it may be possible to change the natural history of severe infantile epilepsy through early intervention with antiepileptic therapy,” the researchers wrote.

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Epilepsy and Dementia
Late-onset epilepsy has been linked to a substantially increased risk of subsequent dementia. Results of a retrospective analysis show that patients who develop epilepsy at age 67 or older have a threefold increased risk of subsequent dementia versus their counterparts without epilepsy. “We are finding that just as the risk of seizures is increased in neurodegenerative diseases, the risk of dementia is increased after late-onset epilepsy and seizures,” study investigator Emily L. Johnson, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, said in an interview. “Several other on-going studies are finding similar results,” she added.

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Epilepsy Treatment Expansion Approval
The FDA expanded its approval of lacosamide, marketed as Vimpat, to include add-on therapy for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures as well as an IV formulation for patients aged 4 years and older.

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FBXO28 causes developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with profound intellectual disability

Abstract, originally published in Epilepsia

Chromosome 1q41-q42 deletion syndrome is a rare cause of intellectual disability, seizures, dysmorphology, and multiple anomalies. Two genes in the 1q41-q42 microdeletion, WDR26 and FBXO28, have been implicated in monogenic disease. Patients with WDR26 encephalopathy overlap clinically with those with 1q41-q42 deletion syndrome, whereas only one patient with FBXO28 encephalopathy has been described. Seizures are a prominent feature of 1q41-q42 deletion syndrome; therefore, we hypothesized that pathogenic FBXO28 variants cause developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). We describe nine new patients with FBXO28 pathogenic variants (four missense, including one recurrent, three nonsense, and one frameshift) and analyze all 10 known cases to delineate the phenotypic spectrum. All patients had epilepsy and 9 of 10 had DEE, including infantile spasms (3) and a progressive myoclonic epilepsy (1). Median age at seizure onset was 22.5 months (range 8 months to 5 years). Nine of 10 patients had intellectual disability, which was profound in six of nine and severe in three of nine. Movement disorders occurred in eight of 10 patients, six of 10 had hypotonia, four of 10 had acquired microcephaly, and five of 10 had dysmorphic features, albeit different to those typically seen in 1q41-q42 deletion syndrome and WDR26 encephalopathy. We distinguish FBXO28 encephalopathy from both of these disorders with more severe intellectual impairment, drug-resistant epilepsy, and hyperkinetic movement disorders.

Epilepsy Research News: November 2020

This month’s research news includes a study that highlights the importance of adherence to antiepileptic drug regimens and controlling seizures to reduce the risk of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). We also highlight an advancement in understanding and preventing temporal lobe epilepsy, utilizing an animal model.

Additionally, we share a study that highlights the difficulty that can be faced in diagnosing sometimes subtle seizures associated with focal epilepsy, and we present findings on the development of a new tool to help ease what can be a challenging transition from pediatric/adolescent to adult care for individuals with epilepsy.

In other news, a new FDA alert was issued to avoid the use of lamotrigine/Lamictal in people with cardiac conduction disorders, ventricular arrhythmias, or cardiac disease or abnormality.

These studies and the FDA alert are summarized below.

Research Highlights

Preventing SUDEP
Polytherapy, especially the use of three or more antiepileptic drugs, is correlated with a substantially decreased risk for SUDEP according to a nationwide study conducted in Sweden. The study also demonstrated a link between statin use and a decreased risk for SUDEP. “These results provide support for the importance of medication adherence and intensified anti-epileptic drug treatment for patients with poorly controlled generalized tonic-conic seizures in the efforts to reduce SUDEP risks and suggest that comedication with statins may reduce risks,” the researchers wrote.

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Understanding & Treating Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
A team of researchers has found that an amino acid produced by the brain could play a crucial role in preventing cell loss and seizures associated with temporal lobe epilepsy. Utilizing an animal model of temporal lobe epilepsy, the research team found that administration of the amino acid D-serine prevented cell loss characteristic of temporal lobe epilepsy and reduced the number and severity of seizures.

Learn More

Focal Epilepsy & Delayed Diagnosis
A new study shows that it can take on average two years for physicians to recognize the early signs of focal epilepsy, particularly in patients with seizures that do not involve uncontrolled movements of their arms and legs. Subtler cases are often not diagnosed until they have progressed to disruptive “motor” seizures, say the study authors, which can cause the unrestrained, whole-body spasms often portrayed in popular culture. Researchers believe the impact of earlier diagnosis in focal epilepsy patients goes beyond more timely treatment of patients; some study participants reported having one or more car accidents before their diagnosis. The researchers estimate that for every 13 early diagnoses, one car accident, equating to an estimated 1,816 annually worldwide, could be prevented.

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Transitioning to Adulthood with Epilepsy
Clinicians at Michigan Medicine have developed an assessment tool to help doctors ensure adolescents and young adults with epilepsy have the skills and confidence they need to take control of seizures and health care. Through a customized screening tool for 16 to 26-year-olds, doctors are effectively able to monitor their patients’ development of knowledge and self-management skills regarding their condition. This tool allows providers to proactively address gaps in readiness that may impact long term health outcomes.

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FDA Alert for Lamotrigine
The FDA has issued a new warning advising against the use of lamotrigine/Lamictal in people with cardiac conduction disorders, ventricular arrhythmias, or cardiac disease or abnormality. People currently taking lamotrigine should consult their healthcare provider. Do not stop taking lamotrigine without talking to your healthcare provider as doing so can cause serious problems.

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