Abstract
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has been shown to depress the hyperexcitability of neurons. In the present study, we investigated the association between the nucleotide (nt) 5671 C/T polymorphism of the NPY gene and the plasma NPY level in patients with febrile seizures (FS). Fifty‐six patients with FS and 55 control subjects were enrolled. Genotype and allele frequencies were compared. The frequencies of genotypes TT, TC and CC for the NPY gene nt 5671 C/T polymorphism were 21.4%, 28.6% and 50.0%, respectively, in patients with FS, and 14.6%, 40.0% and 45.4%, respectively, in control subjects. The frequencies of alleles T and C were 35.7% and 64.3%, respectively, in patients with FS, while those in the control group were 34.5% and 65.5%, respectively. We found no significant relationship between the NPY gene nt 5671 C/T polymorphism and FS. The plasma NPY concentrations of the FS group, the age‐matched non‐FS group, and subjects aged > 6 years in the non‐FS group were 48.23±32.49, 55.36±23.12, and 70.10±60.31 pg/mL, respectively. These results indicate no statistical difference in plasma NPY concentration between FS patients and the non‐FS group. However, plasma NPY concentration was found to increase significantly with age.
Keywords: febrile seizures, neuropeptide Y, polymorphism
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