Mutations in genes that code ion channels can result in changes to the structure, and therefore the function, of ion channels. The medical conditions arising from this genetic mutation are known as channelopathies, and are increasingly thought to be a major cause of epilepsy. 

Channelopathy

A type of ion channel that pushes sodium ions out and potassium ions in at a significant energy cost.

Sodium-potassium pump

Openings in the cell membrane that allow certain ions pass through when the channel is open.

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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The ability of cell membranes to allow certain substances to enter and exit the cell while blocking other substances. The blockage of other ions is enabled by a selectivity filter inside ion channels like the potassium (K+) ion channel, which contains oxygen atoms in its interior that easily escort K+ ions but have difficulty escorting other ions. 

Selective Permeability

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

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