ABSTRACT
Epilepsy, defined by recurrent, unprovoked seizures, is a relatively common neurologic disorder with a prevalence of 4-8 per 1000 in the United States (1). The hereditary transmission of seizure disorders has long been suspected in humans, and carefully designed epidemiologic studies have identified a substantial genetic contribution to epilepsy (2,3). These studies have shown that close relatives of index cases have an increased risk of epilepsy compared to the general population, and twin studies have shown higher concordance in monozygotic twins when compared with dizygotic pairs (4).
