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Feverish prospects for seizure genetics

Febrile seizures can arise in response to fevers induced by viral infection or as an adverse reaction to live-virus vaccines such as measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination. A new study has now identified common genetic variants influencing susceptibility to febrile seizures, including two loci specifically associated with MMR-related events.

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Figure 1: The complexity of febrile seizures.

Katie Vicari/Nature Publishing Group

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Correspondence to Sanjay Sisodiya.

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Sisodiya, S. Feverish prospects for seizure genetics. Nat Genet 46, 1255–1256 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng.3150

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