Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy in a patient with spinocerebellar ataxia type 13 (SCA13)

Int J Neurosci. 2013 Apr;123(4):278-82. doi: 10.3109/00207454.2012.755180. Epub 2013 Jan 29.

Abstract

We report a female patient of German descent with a molecular diagnosis of SCA13 who presented with a history of cerebellar ataxia and epilepsy. The underlying mutation R420H had been shown to cause a dominant negative effect on the functional properties of the voltage-gated potassium channel KCNC3. Despite widespread KCNC3 expression in the central nervous system, the patient presented with a left mesiotemporal electroencephalogram focus and left hippocampal sclerosis. This is the first case, which reports an association between mesial temporal lobe epilepsy and spinocerebellar ataxia type 13. This demonstrates that epilepsy of structural-metabolic cause may be contingent upon genetically defined channelopathies.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electroencephalography
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / complications*
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / genetics
  • Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / surgery
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Shaw Potassium Channels / genetics*
  • Spinocerebellar Ataxias / congenital
  • Spinocerebellar Degenerations / complications*
  • Spinocerebellar Degenerations / genetics
  • Spinocerebellar Degenerations / surgery

Substances

  • KCNC3 protein, human
  • Shaw Potassium Channels

Supplementary concepts

  • Spinocerebellar ataxia 13