What is Northern epilepsy syndrome?

Northern epilepsy syndrome , or progressive epilepsy with mental retardation , is a subtype of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and a rare disease that is regarded as a Finnish heritage disease. Unlike most Finnish heritage diseases, this syndrome has been reported only in Finland. The disease is characterized by seizures in early childhood that progressively get worse until after puberty. Once the onset of seizures occurs, mental degradation is seen. This continues into adulthood, even after seizure frequency has decreased. The cause of the disease is a missense mutation on chromosome 8. The creation of a new protein occurs, and the lipid content of the brain is altered because of it. The ratio of the mutation carriers is 1:135. There is nothing that has been found to stop the progression of the disease, but symptomatic approaches, such as the use of benzodiazepines, have helped control seizures.