Justin West is a physician and father of three. His youngest son, Andrew, was diagnosed with KCNT1-related epilepsy at 9 months of age. He is director of clinical medicine at the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation, working with researchers and industry to identify and evaluate potential therapeutics.
![Headshot of Justin West.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/JustinWestHead.jpg)
Justin West
President and director of clinical medicine
KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation
From this contributor
Progress amid setbacks in drug trials for rare forms of epilepsy: Q&A with Justin West
Despite grave side effects, it’s vital to keep developing treatments for rare genetic forms of childhood epilepsy, says West, president of the KCNT1 Epilepsy Foundation and father of a son with the condition.
![Justin West holding his son.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/1970/01/1200-justin-west-q-and-a-epilepsy-autism-drug-trial.png)
Progress amid setbacks in drug trials for rare forms of epilepsy: Q&A with Justin West
Explore more from The Transmitter
David Krakauer reflects on the foundations and future of complexity science
In his book “The Complex World,” Krakauer explores how complexity science developed, from its early roots to the four pillars that now define it—entropy, evolution, dynamics and computation.
David Krakauer reflects on the foundations and future of complexity science
In his book “The Complex World,” Krakauer explores how complexity science developed, from its early roots to the four pillars that now define it—entropy, evolution, dynamics and computation.
White-matter changes; lipids and neuronal migration; dementia
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 January.
![Research image showing white matter volume in a child with Angelman syndrome compared with a child without the condition.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1200-spotted-20250114-transmitter-neuroscience-1024x683.png)
White-matter changes; lipids and neuronal migration; dementia
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 13 January.
Fleeting sleep interruptions may help brain reset
Brief, seconds-long microarousals during deep sleep “ride on the wave” of locus coeruleus activity in mice and correlate with periods of waste clearing and memory consolidation, new research suggests.
![Three sleeping mice.](https://www.thetransmitter.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1200-sleep-microarousal-transmitter-neuroscience-1024x683.png)
Fleeting sleep interruptions may help brain reset
Brief, seconds-long microarousals during deep sleep “ride on the wave” of locus coeruleus activity in mice and correlate with periods of waste clearing and memory consolidation, new research suggests.