While not well understood, it is believed that malfunction in thalamocortical loops plays a vital role in<unk> . The reasons for this belief are threefold. Firstly, thalamocortical loops are important in sleep and the<unk>  cortex is the origin of<unk>  seizures. Secondly, both the thalamus and cortex receive cholinergic inputs and acetylcholine receptor subunits comprise the three known causative genes for<unk> . Thirdly, K-complex are almost invariably present at the start of seizures. It is thought that epilepsy is caused because these receptor subunits are expressed presynaptically by neurons that release the inhibitory transmitter GABA. Therefore, the mutation in the α4 subunit could lead to reduced GABA release, causing hyperexcitability.
Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy
Northern epilepsy syndrome
Childhood absence epilepsy
New Brunswick neurological syndrome of unknown cause
Malignant migrating partial seizures in infancy
Benign familial infantile epilepsy
Musicogenic epilepsy
Idiopathic childhood occipital epilepsy of Gastaut