Epilepsy Genetics: Testing Can Make a Difference

Hundreds of genes are associated with epilepsy, but what causes the variations in those genes which lead to this condition? And how do you know if you or your child are a candidate for genetic testing? Learn the answers to your epilepsy genetics questions in this episode of Seizing Life, produced by CURE. We speak with Dr. John Millichap, Pediatric Epileptologist at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He discusses both the basics of epilepsy genetics and the potential power of genetic testing for epilepsy patients. While we have made steps towards understanding how genetics causes epilepsy, we have so much more to do. More than 50% of people with epilepsy still do not know the cause. Without this information, it can be extremely challenging to find the best treatment. But further funding of genetic epilepsy research could close this gap. CURE has been instrumental in leading us towards personalized medicine based on epilepsy and genetics. Help us do more by donating to Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy.