Leaky calcium triggers brainstem blackout that results in sudden cardiac death

Epilepsy is an extremely common disorder affecting people of all ages, from infants through teenagers to older adults. One of the most mysterious things about this disorder is that about 6 percent of the people with epilepsy have an unusually high incidence of sudden unexpected death. In a paper published today on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine report how a mutation in a gene involved in the regulation of calcium inside brain cells can help trigger blackouts of the brainstem, the center that controls heartbeat and breathing, and increase the risk of sudden unexpected death.