Epilepsy gene research hailed as ‘significant step’ in understanding condition

A new international study involving Irish researchers believes it has pinpointed specific genes linked to people developing epilepsy, which could potentially lead to new treatments for the condition.

The research, published on Thursday, compared DNA from nearly 30,000 people with epilepsy and more than 52,000 people without the condition, which affects the brain and can cause frequent seizures.

The study, described by researchers as the largest genetic study of its kind, singled out 29 genes that they suspect probably contributed to someone developing epilepsy.

Researchers said while current medications for patients with epilepsy target many of these genes the study pointed to other drugs potentially being effective as additional treatments, which are not currently used as epilepsy medication.

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The research said it anticipated follow-up studies “could show” these drugs being successfully used in epilepsy treatment.

Gianpiero Cavalleri, professor of human genetics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), said the research was towards the “higher end” of significance.

Prof Cavalleri, who was involved in the study, said it was a “significant step” in improving the understanding of the genetics of epilepsy and what genes caused or contributed to the condition. “Not very long ago we knew very little about the genetics of epilepsies,” he told The Irish Times.

He said the latest research was “important but not the end by any means… This is a significant step but there’s still a lot of work to do”.

Prof Cavalleri, who is also deputy director of a Science Foundation Ireland research centre, said the “comprehensive” study was “key to developing new therapeutic options” for epilepsy patients. “The challenge now is to translate the findings of this research to improve the lives of people with epilepsy.”

Prof Colin Doherty, a consultant neurologist at St James’s Hospital and another co-author of the paper, said identifying genes associated with epilepsy would improve the diagnosis of these genes in patients. “This in turn, will guide clinicians in selecting the most beneficial treatment strategies, minimising seizures.”

The study, published in the Nature Genetics journal, was the work of more than 150 researchers around the world under the banner of the International League Against Epilepsy research group.