- Mutations in the NHLRC1 gene are the common cause for Lafora disease in the Japanese population. Singh, S., Suzuki, T., Uchiyama, A., Kumada, S., Moriyama, N., Hirose, S., Takahashi, Y., Sugie, H., Mizoguchi, K., Inoue, Y., Kimura, K., Sawaishi, Y., Yamakawa, K., Ganesh, S. J. Hum. Genet. (2005)