Abstract 2844 Carpe Diem: Exploring Mutations of Kir 5.1 in Relation to SUDEP and Seizures

Epilepsy impacts the lives of 3.4 million individuals in the United States and 65 million individuals worldwide; one-third of their seizures are untreatable using current drugs. Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes recurring seizures through unpredictable episodes of electrical surges in brain activity. These seizures can be caused by many different types of environmental stimuli including light patterns, temperature changes, and audio frequencies. Currently, the Physiology Department at the Medical College of Wisconsin is researching the effects of sound induced seizures by mutating the Kcnj16 gene in rats.