Heritability of epileptic seizures in the Belgian tervueren

Survey data were collected on the incidence of epileptic seizures in 997 Belgian tervuerens. The heritability of this disorder was estimated as 0.77 (with a 95 per cent confidence interval spanning from 0.65 to 0.88) using a Bayesian analysis in an ordered categorical threshold model. Single locus models do not appear adequate as an explanation for this inherited seizure disorder. The high heritability estimate suggests that breeders can wage a successful battle against this disorder by breeding unaffected individuals, particularly those from families with no history of seizures.