Gene
SCN8A
sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 8
- HGNC 10596(opens in a new tab)
- Ensembl gene ENSG00000196876(opens in a new tab)
- NCBI Gene 6334(opens in a new tab)
Summary
- Cytogenetic location
- 12q13.13
- Coordinates
- Chromosome 12: 51,591,233–51,812,864 (GRCh38)
- Exons
- 27 exons across 221.6 kb
- Protein
- 1,980 amino acids
- Also known as
- Nav1.6, NaCh6, PN4, CerIII, CIAT
- Previous symbols
- MED
- MANE Select transcript
- ENST00000627620.5NM_001330260.2
- Locus type
- gene with protein product
- Very high
- Confident
- Low
- Very low
Reference genomeGRCh38hg38
Positions on gene and variant pages follow this choice, in this browser.
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Epilepsy (Full Panel)
- Epilepsy
One of 171 genes linked to it
A brain disorder characterized by episodes of abnormally increased neuronal discharge resulting in transient episodes of sensory or motor neurological dysfunction, or psychic dysfunction. These episodes may or may not be associated with loss of consciousness or convulsions.
- 3 GenCC submitters rate it definitive or strong
How SCN8A is laid out
- Coding sequence
- Untranslated region
- Intron
- Direction of transcription
- Known disease-causing sites
- Stretches short reads find hard
Exons of the gene's MANE Select transcript (release v1.5), from NCBI and EMBL-EBI, on the GRCh38 reference genome.
Chromosome bands from UCSC's GRCh38 ideogram (2022-10-29).
Nearby genes from Ensembl release 116, on GRCh38.
Exons make up 11.6 kb of the gene's 221.6 kb; 5,943 of those bases code for the protein.
How a genome test reads SCN8A
164
positions in SCN8A where ClinVar classes a change as pathogenic or likely pathogenic
None of them falls in a region short reads find hard.
A whole genome covers all 221.6 kb of SCN8A, introns included, not only the 11.6 kb of exons.
Traits linked to SCN8A
The Human Phenotype Ontology lists these as features of the rare conditions SCN8A can cause. Each trait's page lists the other genes linked to it.
Abnormality of the nervous system
- Ataxia
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Clonic seizure
- Degeneration of cerebellum
- Difficulty articulating speech
- EEG with spike-wave complexes
- Epileptic spasm
- Global developmental delay
Show 83 more traits
- Intellectual disability
- Intellectual disability, severe
- Lack of coordination of movement
- Limb myoclonus
- Multifocal epileptiform discharges
- Obsessive compulsive behavior
- Attention deficit
- EEG with irregular generalized spike and wave complexes
- Encephalopathy
- Epilepsy
- Generalized myoclonic seizure
- Grand mal seizures
- Intellectual disability, mild
- Motor delay
- Neonatal seizure
- Normal interictal EEG
- Abnormality of coordination
- Aggressive behavior
- Bilateral tonic-clonic seizure with focal onset
- Bilateral tonic-clonic seizure with generalized onset
- Chorea
- Choreoathetosis
- Decreased reflex response
- Degeneration of cerebrum
- Delayed ability to walk
- Delayed speech and language development
- Dystonia
- EEG with focal spike waves
- EEG with multifocal slow activity
- Focal clonic seizure
- Focal impaired awareness autonomic seizure
- Focal impaired awareness seizure
- Focal motor seizure
- Focal tonic seizure
- Generalized clonic seizure
- Generalized tonic seizure
- Inability to coordinate movements when walking
- Incoordination
- Intellectual disability, borderline
- Interictal EEG abnormality
- Involuntary movements
- Involuntary writhing movements in fingers, hands, toes, and feet
- IQ less than 20
- Irritability
- Jerking
- Loss of developmental milestones
- Mental deterioration
- Paroxysmal dyskinesia
- Poor hand-eye coordination
- Seizure affecting one half of brain
- Severe temper tantrums
- Simple febrile seizure
- Thick cerebral cortex
- Abnormal corpus callosum morphology
- Abnormal gait
- Abnormal myelination
- Autism
- Behavioral abnormality
- Brain degeneration
- Brief seizures with staring spells
- Complex febrile seizure
- Delayed fine motor development
- Diminished deep tendon reflex
- Disorder of involuntary muscle movements
- Experiential epileptic aura
- Eyelid myoclonia seizure
- Febrile seizure (within the age range of 3 months to 6 years)
- Focal head nodding automatism seizure
- Focal hemiclonic seizure
- Hypsarrhythmia
- Impulsivity
- Language impairment
- Neonatal electro-clinical seizure with behavior arrest
- Photosensitive tonic-clonic seizure
- Tonic seizure
- Tremor
- Unsteady walk
- Interictal epileptiform activity
- Paralysis on one side of body
- Repeated seizures without recovery between them
- Brain imaging abnormality
- Epileptic encephalopathy
- Psychomotor deterioration
External links
Gene records
Transcript
Protein
Where this comes from
- HGNC: the gene's symbol, name, other symbols and location.
- MANE Select v1.5, from NCBI and EMBL-EBI: the transcript, its exons and coding sequence.
- GenCC and ClinGen, released 2026-10-16: which conditions the gene is linked to, and how strongly.
- The ACMG secondary findings list, SF v3.2.
- ClinVar and the GIAB stratifications: known disease-causing sites, and the regions short reads find hard.
- The Human Phenotype Ontology, release 2026-09-01: the traits linked to the gene. Find out more at hpo.jax.org.
- Data release 2026.10.16-c6eea6bf.
Cite this page
Dante Labs. (n.d.). SCN8A gene: sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 8. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://dantelabs.com/genes/scn8a
Dante Labs. SCN8A gene: sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 8 [Internet]. [cited 16 October 2026]. Available from: https://dantelabs.com/genes/scn8a
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