Scientists link gene to Rolandic epilepsy

Investigators at the USA's Columbia University Medical Center have published the results of a study that has found the first gene linked to  the most common type of epilepsy, called Rolandic epilepsy, in the  European Journal of Human Genetics .

In the study, the scientists searched the entire genome of 38 families  and found a region on chromosome 11 that was linked with Rolandic  epilepsy. Then, by comparing this region in people with the disease to  unaffected controls (255 people in total), the researchers pinpointed  the gene, called ELP4.

The findings also offer possible insights into the causes of  attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, speech dyspraxia and  developmental coordination disorder. Children with these developmental  disorders often have the same "spiky" brainwave pattern that is present  in children with Rolandic epilepsy. Understanding how the ELP4 gene is  related to the brainwave pattern may help researchers uncover the causes  of these disorders.