were susceptible to spontaneous and provoked seizures (cf. Hallmann et al., 2000). A recent study with a mouse model of seizure activity reported that GIRK2 channel (KCNJ6) may play a major role in the genesis of childhood epilepsy (infantile spasms) as measured by the changes in EEG activity and behavior (Blichowski et al., 2015). Importantly, animal studies have reported that GIRK2 channels influence reward network by promoting adaptations in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, and thus could influence reward-related behaviors and actions including alcohol and drug addiction (Arora et al., 2010; Cooper et al., 2012; Kotecki, 2015). Taken together, these findings suggest that GIRK2 (or the KCNJ6 gene) may play a vital role in modulating neurocognitive function/dysfunction.
