Arrows indicate the brain regions where seizures originate in one of the patients included in the study. LIU ET AL.
In the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the brain’s central pacemaker, CLOCK (circadian locomotor output cycles kaput) is a transcription factor that plays a crucial role in regulating circadian rhythms. However, this protein also appears outside this region, in the cerebral cortex, where its function is still unclear. A new study, published today (October 11) in Neuron, suggests that the loss of CLOCK in the cortex is associated with certain severe forms of epilepsy.
Prior studies have provided hints of a link between epilepsy and our sleep-wake cycles. For example, researchers have observed that seizures tend to follow circadian rhythms, and that some individuals are more susceptible to seizures during sleep. Others have reported, based on animal experiments, that changes in the expression of clock genes, such as ...
