Channelopathies: Ion Channel Disorders of Muscle as a Paradigm for Paroxysmal Disorders of the Nervous System

Over the last eight years, an increasing awareness of the role of mutant ion channels in episodic diseases of humans has emerged. The importance of these discoveries is now being extended to a growing list of membrane excitability disorders of the nervous system. Molecular characterization of episodic diseases that are rare and monogenic will ultimately shed light on more common and complex disorders such as epilepsy and migraine.