Gene finding offers epilepsy hopes

Researchers say they have found a mutated gene linked with epilepsy and mental retardation in women.

It is hoped the findings could lead to prenatal screenings.

Senior medical scientist at Adelaide's Women's and Children's Hospital Leanne Dibbens says the findings will open up new research areas that will benefit hundreds of thousands of epilepsy sufferers and people with intellectual disabilities.

Dr Dibbens says the hereditary condition specific to women is rare but has been known to affect successive generations.

"We do have two families here in South Australia which suffer from the disease but within those families there are many affected females and there are males who can pass on the gene and not know it until now," she said.

"It offers them tremendous potential in trying to avoid having children, or girls, with this nasty disease as we can now offer them genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis.

"And for the wider community it will lead to new research into the genes that are involved in epilepsy and intellectual disability."