WALS Lecture: Leveraging Genetics and Cell Signaling to Decipher Disorders of Excitability

Presentation Objectives: To understand how genetic testing illuminates the causes of a devastating disease, Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood, and identifies dysfunctional calcium signaling as a major cause; To chart a course for how genetic analysis of neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder will spur understanding the impact of non-coding variations in key signaling proteins; To appreciate how genetics highlights underappreciated signaling molecules that coordinate excitatory and inhibitory synaptic strength and provide a target for cannabidiol (CBD) action in epilepsy and autism.
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