Effects of TRIP8b phosphorylation on HCN channel trafficking in epilepsy

Ion Channels are speccialized proteins that enable nerve cells to generate electrical signals. Our lab focuses on one particular family of ion channels named hyperpolarization-activated cyclic-nucleotid-gated (HCN) channels. These channels serve a variety of functions in different regions of the brain, but in the hippocampus, an area we are particularly interested in that governs learning and memory, HCN channels have an inhibitory effect that reduces overall activity. Furthermore, in forms of epilepsy that affect the hippocampus, the amount of HCN channels is reduced, which contributes to the increased excitability and recurrent seizures that characterize epilepsy syndromes. Our gal is to understand the changes that occur in HCN channels during epilepsy, which may lead to preventive therapies for this debilitating disorder.