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World J Neurol. Mar 28, 2015; 5(1): 52-56
Published online Mar 28, 2015. doi: 10.5316/wjn.v5.i1.52
Involvement of leak K+ channels in neurological disorders
Hiroki Toyoda
Hiroki Toyoda, Department of Neuroscience and Oral Physiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
Author contributions: Toyoda H contributed to designing and writing the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest: The author declares no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Hiroki Toyoda, PhD, Department of Neuroscience and Oral Physiology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, 1-8, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. toyoda@dent.osaka-u.ac.jp
Telephone: +81-6-68792884 Fax: +81-6-68792885
Received: August 6, 2014
Peer-review started: August 7, 2014
First decision: November 28, 2014
Revised: November 28, 2014
Accepted: December 16, 2014
Article in press: December 17, 2014
Published online: March 28, 2015
Abstract

TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ (TASK) channels give rise to leak K+ currents which influence the resting membrane potential and input resistance. The wide expression of TASK1 and TASK3 channels in the central nervous system suggests that these channels are critically involved in neurological disorders. It has become apparent in the past decade that TASK channels play critical roles for the development of various neurological disorders. In this review, I describe evidence for their roles in ischemia, epilepsy, learning/memory/cognition and apoptosis.

Keywords: Leak K+ channel, TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ channel, Neurological disorder

Core tip: The leak K+ conductance generated by TWIK-related acid-sensitive K+ (TASK) channels is crucial for neuronal excitability. Because of the substantial expression of TASK channels in the brain, it is possible that these channels are responsible for numerous neurological disorders. However, little is known about the roles of TASK channels in the development of neurological disorders. In this review, I introduce the molecular basis of leak K+ channels and describe the possible roles for TASK channels in several neurological disorders.