Ricerc@Sapienza

Introduction. Epilepsy is a common neurological disease requiring complex therapies, which have been unable to achieve seizure control in 30% of patients. Poor adherence has been recognized as a possible determinant of drug-resistance. Prolonged-release formulations of anti-epileptic drugs might help increase adherence, minimize side effects and pharmacological interactions. Areas Covered. Pregabalin (PGB) has peculiar pharmacodynamics and almost ideal pharmacokinetics, except for a short half-life and therefore requiring multiple daily dosing.

Aberrant activation or inhibition of potassium (K+) currents across the plasma membrane of cells has been causally linked to altered neurotransmission, cardiac arrhythmias, endocrine dysfunction, and (more rarely) perturbed developmental processes. The K+ channel subfamily K member 4 (KCNK4), also known as TRAAK (TWIK-related arachidonic acid-stimulated K+ channel), belongs to the mechano-gated ion channels of the TRAAK/TREK subfamily of two-pore-domain (K2P) K+ channels.