The KC l‐cotransporter KCC 2 linked to epilepsy

In the mature brain, the neurotransmitter GABA can cause a postsynaptic hyperpolarization via activation of chloride permeant GABA A receptor channels. This hyperpolarizing response critically depends on chloride extrusion via the KC l‐cotransporter KCC 2 [1][Rivera C, 1999]. Its knockdown in mice impairs synaptic inhibition by changing the electrochemical potential for chloride and thus increases neuronal excitability [2][Hübner CA, 2001][3][Woo NS, 2002]. Two independent groups provide first evidence now, published in EMBO reports , that rare variants of KCC 2 confer an increased risk of epilepsy in men [4][Puskarjov M, 2014][5][Kahle KT, 2014].