Microdomain-resolved potassium channel gating as a controllable process: patient-specific excitability landscapes, attractor stability, and closed-loop therapeutic Optimization

Introduction Potassium conductances provide a biologically well-established lever for regulating neuronal excitability across heterogeneous disorders, controlling threshold, repolarization, adaptation and bursting at low energetic cost. However, translating this biology into patient-level therapeutic stratification remains an incompletely validated task. This review therefore distinguishes established potassium-channel mechanisms from conceptual integration and future-facing translational proposals.Areas covered Drawing on literature identified through searches of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection and Scopus (inception – May 2026)advances a patient-level ‘excitability fingerprint’ as a conceptual translational framework linking microdomain-resolved gating to network stability and future biomarker-enriched therapeutic development. Voltage-gated potassium channels (Kv), big-conductance Ca2 + -activated K+ channels (BK)/small-conductance Ca2 + -activated K+ channels (SK), inwardly rectifying potassium channels (Kir)/ATP-sensitive potassium channels (KATP), and two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels, including TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ channels (TASK)/TWIK-related K+ channels (TREK), are gated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂), Ca2 +, redox, and pH across subcellular domains, including glia – neuron K+ coupling. A tri-axial fingerprint is defined: electroencephalography (EEG)/high-frequency oscillation (HFO) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) metrics; microdomain tone (PIP₂/redox); and astroglial K+ buffering, modulated by age, sex, genetics, and metabolic – inflammatory comorbidities. Biomarker-anchored titration uses electrophysiology (HFO; resting motor threshold [RMT]/motor-evoked potential [MEP]/short-interval intracortical inhibition [SICI]/cortical silent period [CSP]), molecular panels (reduced glutathione [GSH]/glutathione disulfide [GSSG]; cysteine/cystine; acid – base), and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) assays of PIP₂-dependent M-current rescue.Expert opinion Fingerprint-guided K+ modulation can compress time-to-response and manage network-level risk, supporting standardized pipelines, practical microdomain assays, and response-adaptive, fingerprint-enriched trials to implement individualized therapeutic windows.