Disease ID | Source | Name | Description |
254780 | OMIM | Epilepsy, progressive myoclonic 2 (EPM2) | A form of progressive myoclonic epilepsy, a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders defined by the combination of action and reflex myoclonus, other types of epileptic seizures, and progressive neurodegeneration and neurocognitive impairment. EPM2 is an autosomal recessive and severe form of adolescent-onset progressive epilepsy. Typically, as seizures increase in frequency, cognitive function declines towards dementia, and affected individuals die usually within 10 years after onset. EPM2 occurs worldwide, but it is particularly common in the mediterranean countries of southern Europe and northern Africa, in southern India and in the Middle East. At the cellular level, it is characterized by accumulation of starch-like polyglucosans called Lafora bodies (LBs) that are most abundant in organs with the highest glucose metabolism: brain, heart, liver and skeletal muscle. Among other conditions involving polyglucosans, EPM2 is unique in that the inclusions are in neuronal dendrites but not axons and the forming polyglucosan fibrils are associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. The disease is caused by variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. |