Since pathophysiological alterations of astrocytic Kir4.1 channels were also demonstrated in Parkinson’s disease (Howells et al., 2000; Ziebell et al., 2012), Alzheimer’s disease (Wilcock et al., 2009), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Kaiser et al., 2006; Bataveljić et al., 2012), and Huntington’s disease (Tong et al., 2014), further studies are required to elucidate the pathophysiological roles of the astrocytic Kir4.1-BDNF system in central nervous system disorders. The gene discussed is BDNF; the disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.