Lori L. Isom, Ph.D.

Dr. Isom is a leader in the field of Na+ channel biology. In this project, she will study how mutations in voltage-gated Na+ channel α and β subunit genes are linked to Dravet Syndrome (DS), a pediatric epileptic encephalopathy. She will use DS patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell neurons, as well as mature brain networks (via brain slices from transgenic mouse models), to study how deficits in the regulation of ionic currents can contribute to hyperexcitability in DS.