Hello everyone.
Could you suggest any future readings or give me any ideas on how the physical and electrical properties of ion channels affect the ability of neurons to train and respond.
I need to explain the ground of my question. You know about the remedies, which alter the gating properties of ion channels, and these are used in epilepsy (e. g.: Valproic acid (VPA), Carbamazepine, Lamotrigine etc.). What if a patient with epilepsy, who took VPA from neonatal, used to train their neuronets with the presence of VPA, and now, when the doctor prescribed the cancellation of VPA after 5 years of usage, the child eventually get some aspects of mental retardation — some of their daily activities become obsolete and not trained. Could it be so, that neuronets «forget» the ability in the absence of VPA (because when VPA was returned, the ability restores).
Thank you.
Dear Roman: It is difficult to speculate that withdrawal of VPA is linked to mental retardation. One might need to know why his/or her physician stops prescribing VPA. If so, another alternatives such as carbamazepine or lamotrigine need to be given. It is hard to believe how come the treatment of antiepileptic drugs for 5 years only might cause mental "deterioration" ("retardation" is a term used for the elderly). That child should have specific disease entity to be linked to mental problems.
Dear Dr. Wu, thank you for some suggestions. I will get to know the reasons of VPA withdrawal. Something is very strange in this story, and I would like to get more info from the parents. Thank you.
Hi Roman,
There is a deep literature on this topic. One researcher who had had much to say on how channel properties influence neuronal circuit performance from single cell level up to understanding disease models is a guy named Daniel Johnston. His articles can be accessed for free through his lab website (http://clm.utexas.edu/djlab/publications/). I'd recommend starting at the end of the list to find some articles that may be more of interest to your case. Specifically, check out some of the articles mentioning FragileX in the title.
Hope that helps. And best of luck with your case.
Joey
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