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Potassium channels as prominent targets and tools for the treatment of epilepsy
Ist Teil von
Expert opinion on therapeutic targets, 2021-03, Vol.25 (3), p.223-235
Ort / Verlag
England: Taylor & Francis
Erscheinungsjahr
2021
Quelle
Taylor & Francis
Beschreibungen/Notizen
K
+
channels are of great interest to epilepsy research as mutations in their genes are found in humans with inherited epilepsy. At the level of cellular physiology, K+ channels control neuronal intrinsic excitability and are the main contributors to membrane repolarization of active neurons. Recently, a genetically modified voltage-dependent K
+
channel has been patented as a remedy for epileptic seizures.
We review the role of potassium channels in excitability, clinical and experimental evidence for the association of potassium channelopathies with epilepsy, the targeting of K+ channels by drugs, and perspectives of gene therapy in epilepsy with the expression of extra K+ channels in the brain.
Control over K+ conductance is of great potential benefit for the treatment of epilepsy. Nowadays, gene therapy affecting K+ channels is one of the most promising approaches to treat pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy.