# Basal Ganglia & Sodium Channel Regulation

**How the basal ganglia pathways, dopamine modulation, GABAergic braking, and sodium channel biology intersect — and where PRRT2 sits in the middle of all of it.**

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**🧭 PRRT2.org Perspective**

*Developed by the PRRT2 Gene Alliance to explain the circuit mechanisms underlying PRRT2-related conditions. Includes established science and some emerging-evidence elements. Educational only — not diagnostic, not medical advice.*
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The diagram covers four layers: cortical input driving the striatum, the dopaminergic gain-knob from the substantia nigra, the GABAergic thalamic brake from the globus pallidus, and the sodium channel biology connecting all three. PRRT2 sits at the intersection — which is why its loss of function produces symptoms across motor, sensory, and arousal circuits simultaneously.

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See [The Sodium Channel Connection](https://www.prrt2.org/prrt2-gene-overview/sodium-channel-connection) for the cited reference version of this material.


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