Title: Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels in Neurological Disorders
Volume: 7
Issue: 2
Author(s): Mohamed Chahine, Aurelien Chatelier, Olga Babich and Johannes J. Krupp
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Neuronal excitability, action potential, splice variants, channelopathies, expression, toxins, local anesthetics, subunit specific blockers
Abstract: Voltage-gated sodium channels play an essential biophysical role in many excitable cells such as neurons. They transmit electrical signals through action potential (AP) generation and propagation in the peripheral (PNS) and central nervous systems (CNS). Each sodium channel is formed by one α-subunit and one or more β-subunits. There is growing evidence indicating that mutations, changes in expression, or inappropriate modulation of these channels can lead to electrical instability of the cell membrane and inappropriate spontaneous activity observed during pathological states. This review describes the biochemical, biophysical and pharmacological properties of neuronal voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) and their implication in several neurological disorders.
