Progress in molecular genetics of epilepsy

Epilepsy is a group of disorders characterized by recurrent seizures. The etiologies of idiopathic epilepsy commonly have a genetic basis. Gene mutations causing several of the inherited epilepsies have been mapped. In this review, the authors summarize the available information on the genetic basis of human epilepsies and epilepsy syndromes, emphasizing how genetic defects may correlate with the pathophysiological mechanisms of brain hyperexcitability and gene defects can lead to epilepsy by altering multiple and diverse aspects of neuronal function.