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As all babies grow cell by cell in their mother's womb, they develop small changes from their parents' genes. These changes happen by chance. Some are harmless, some are beneficial, and some cause diseases. SCN8A mutations can be the disease-causing kind.

One letter is out of place in a string of billions of letters. SCN8A DEE, often called SCN8A Epilepsy, is a rare disorder that causes a range of symptoms that can include severe epilepsy, developmental delay, and other medical challenges. Every person with this condition is affected differently and with varying severity. They can be left without seizure control for long periods, which can a lifelong impact on their development. While choosing medications is a process of trial and error, with the help of several physicians, TCSF has developed a Clinician Reference Guide that can help guide your physician in best practices on medications to try (and to avoid).

What is SCN8A?
SCN8A is a gene that encodes a voltage-gated sodium channel and affects how brain cells function. Mutations on this gene can cause neurological problems that can include epilepsy and learning difficulties. The SCN8A gene was isolated in mice in 1995, and the role of SCN8A in the human brain was discovered in 2012. Since then, ~550 patients have been diagnosed with SCN8A mutations. Due to advances in genetic testing, more patients are being discovered all the time. It is now believed that SCN8A mutations may cause up to 1% of all epilepsies. Watch SCN8A 101 below to learn more...

What problems do SCN8A mutations cause?
Most with SCN8A mutations have epilepsy that is resistant to treatment - they may have seizures every day and need to be hospitalized often. Other symptoms often include learning difficulties, muscle spasms, low or high muscle tone, poor coordination, developmental delay, and features similar to autism. The extent of physical disability leaves some children able to make little or no voluntary movement. Most children will have trouble learning to speak, and some will need assistance from feeding tubes to get the nourishment they need to grow.
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Seizures in SCN8A Epilepsy typically onset between 0-18 months, at a mean age of 5 months. Seizures in SCN8A Epilepsy are often refractory—tonic-clonic seizures are the most typical, myoclonic and absence seizures are also common. Children with SCN8A mutations often have some degree of developmental delay which may occur from birth or onset with seizures. About half of those with SCN8A mutations have intellectual disability. Many others also have autistic-like features, hypotonia, and movement disorders--including dystonia and choreoathetosis. Learn more about some of our SCN8A warriors...

What is the treatment for SCN8A?
There is currently no standard treatment for SCN8A. Treatment will depend on the type and severity of symptoms. SCN8A epilepsy is commonly drug resistant, but has shown a positive response to sodium channel blockers. A combination of treatments such as medications, implantable devices (VNS or RNS), or the ketogenic diet may be helpful.

There is currently one active clinical trial for SCN8A. The aim of the Kayak Study is to evaluate NBI-921352 as adjunctive therapy in subjects with SCN8A Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy Syndrome (SCN8A-DEE) in patients age 2-21. This is the first SCN8A specific clinical trial and is a huge step forward for our community! Watch our Fall 2022 Clinical Trial Readiness series webinar with Neurocrine to get an update on this study.

A second SCN8A study is expected to initiate in the first quarter of 2023. The EMBOLD Study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of PRAX-562 in pediatric participants age 2-18 with DEEs, followed by an open-label extension. Watch our Fall 2022 Clinical Trial Readiness series webinar with Praxis to learn more about PRAX-562.
Where did the name "The Cute Syndrome" come from? Check out this blog post...

SCN8A Clinician Information and Reference Guide — Print your own!

German, Spanish, and Portuguese translations available

More Information About SCN8A

Broad Institute–SCN Portal | Beyond the Ion Channel | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | Epilepsy Foundation | National Library of Medicine | International League Against Epilepsy | Science Direct

Do you or your child have an SCN8A mutation?

​Join our SCN8A Community.

The gene SCN8A was isolated in humans by Michael Hammer, PhD, a geneticist who found the gene in his own daughter, Shay. We celebrate International SCN8A Awareness Day on February 9th in memory of Shay. You can learn more about Dr. Hammer and Shay in The Gene Detective's Journey: