Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy

Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy (BFJE) is a neurological disease can cause seizures in puppies between three and 13 weeks of age. Symptoms can be very variable ranging from mild shivers to severe seizures. Genetically at-risk dogs may show no signs and severely affected dogs may live normally after signs have passed.

Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy is an autosomal recessive condition caused by a mutation in the LGI2 gene.

Jokinen, T., Metsähonkala, L., Bergamasco, L., Viitmaa, R., Syrjä, P., Lohi, H., Snellman, M., Jeserevics, J. and Cizinauskas, S. (2007), Benign Familial Juvenile Epilepsy in Lagotto Romagnolo Dogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 21: 464-471

Seppälä, E. H., Jokinen, T. S., Fukata, M., Fukata, Y., Webster, M. T., Karlsson, E. K., Kilpinen, S. K., Steffen, F., Dietschi, E., Leeb, T., Eklund, R., Zhao, X., Rilstone, J. J., Lindblad-Toh, K., Minassian, B. A., & Lohi, H. (2011). LGI2 truncation causes a remitting focal epilepsy in dogs. PLoS genetics, 7(7), e1002194