Medical research

Hunting the ion channel

The electrical impulse that powers the workings of the brain and the heart begins with charged particles passing through cellular structures known as ion channels. Using the same technique used to decode the structure of ...

Genetics

Researchers identify gene linked with early epilepsy

Certain types of early-onset epilepsy are caused by previously unknown mutations of a potassium channel gene, KCNA2. The mutations disrupt the electrical balance in the brain in two ways. In some patients, the flow of potassium ...

Genetics

New genetic cause for progressive form of epilepsy identified

An international research consortium has discovered a new gene underlying progressive myoclonus epilepsy, one of the most devastating forms of epilepsy. The study showed that a single mutation in a potassium ion channel gene ...

Medical research

Photopharmacology: Optical control of insulin secretion

Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have chemically modified an anti-diabetic agent so as to make its action dependent on light. The resulting prototype compound, termed JB253, induces release of ...

Medical research

Scientists gain a clear picture of E1 protein

(Medical Xpress)—The heart's cellular blueprint has been the subject of scientific debate for decades, with no component causing more trouble the KCNE1.

Medical research

New operating principle of potassium channels discovered

Neurons transmit information with the help of special channels that allow the passage of potassium ions. Defective potassium channels play a role in epilepsy and depression. The scientists working with Prof. Henning Stahlberg ...

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