Gene Linked to Epilepsy is Found

For the first time, a team of researchers led by doctors at Columbia University Medical Center may have found a genetic answer to the source of epilepsy.

After searching through the entire genome structure of 38 different families of a patient, the researchers discovered a gene, elongator protein complex 4, or ELP4, that is linked to Rolandic epilepsy.

Researchers say the gene discovery may finally lead to figuring out the cause of Rolandic epilepsy, along with other forms.

“By finding out what this gene does in a specific kind of epilepsy, that will be helpful in trying to figure out different ways of curing it,” said Dr. Carl Bazil, the director of the Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

Study investigators say the research still has years to go, but the findings shed light on other conditions like attention deficit, speech and developmental coordination disorders. Children with those disorders create similar brain wave patterns to those with Rolandic epilepsy.