A gene responsible for a deadly form of epilepsy affecting teenagers has been identified by an international research team led by Canadians.
Berge Minassian and Stephen Scherer of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto headed the effort that investigated the genetic cause of Lafora disease.
The disease is a severe form of epilepsy that appears during early adolescence and usually kills victims within a decade.
The discovery will allow people with a family history of the disease to be tested for the gene. CP