1.3. Voltage-gated sodium channels
A consistent finding, both in the clinic and in the various mouse models
discussed here, is a profound comorbidity between ASD and epilepsy \cite{RN35}. Thus, it is of no surprise that mutations
in a third class of genes, voltage-gated sodium channel subunits, have
been linked to both conditions. Mutations in the SCNA1 gene, encoding
the Nav1.1 channel, result in Dravet syndrome, a neurodevelopmental
disorder defined by treatment-resistant epilepsy, as well as ASD-like
phenotypes \cite{RN36}. A second channel subunit
implicated in both epilepsy and ASD is Nav1.2, encoded by the SCN2A
gene. This gene has been highlighted as one of the most common monogenic
sources of autism-causing mutations across multiple studies\cite{RN37}.