Narcolepsy

A chronic sleep disorder that causes overwhelming daytime drowsiness.
The cause of narcolepsy isn’t well understood but may involve genetic factors and abnormal signaling in the brain.

Narcolepsy causes sudden attacks of sleep. Sudden loss of muscle tone and hallucinations might occur.

Stimulants, antidepressants, and other medications can help.

 

Cluster Number:
Wiki Number: PW130
Diagnosis: Narcolepsy
US Patients: Estimated to affect 200,000, but only 50,000 diagnosed.
World Patients:
Sex Ratio:
Age Onset: Adolescence and early adulthood
Brain Area:
Symptoms: Inability to regulate poor-quality sleep-wake cycles and brief, involuntary sleeping; 70% have catalepsy-sudden muscle weakness;
Progression: The Wikipedia article lists a number of genes and chromosomes regulating sleep, too complex for this overview.
Causes: family history 10%; loss of orexin neurons (which regulate sleep and wakefulness) in the lateral hypothalamus
Medications: Several other medications are being developed.
Therapies: regular short naps & sleep-hygiene=quiet bedroom, bed for sleep and sex only; regular bedtimes.

Youtube Video: What is Narcolepsy?

Amazon or Library Book:

My Dad Naps, Too!

Amazon or Library Book:

Waking Mathilda

Click the book to link or buy from Amazon.

Click the book to link or buy from Amazon.

Support Group: narcolepsynetwork.org; 401-667-2523

(Narcolepsy Network, Inc.)

4 CURRENT ARTICLES
FROM PUBMED

The world-wide medical research
reports chosen for each diagnosis 

Clicking each title opens the
PubMed article’s summary-abstract.

  • Cataplexy Mistaken for Seizures in a Patient With Undiagnosed Narcolepsy Type I
    by Erafat D Rehim on May 6, 2024

    Narcolepsy Type 1 is a sleep disorder, with cataplexy as its cardinal feature, characterized by sudden decrease or loss of muscle tone triggered by strong emotions. Cataplexy can be misdiagnosed as epileptic seizures given its clinical similarity to atonic seizures. The low prevalence of the disease added another layer of complexity in providing timely and accurate diagnosis. We report a case of a young man with recurrent episodes of falling and an inability to respond, initially misinterpreted...

  • Orexins in apoptosis: a dual regulatory role
    by Simona Cavalu on May 3, 2024

    The orexins, also referred to as hypocretins, are neuropeptides that originate from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) region of the brain. They are composed of two small peptides, orexin-A, and orexin-B, which are broadly distributed throughout the central and peripheral nervous systems. Orexins are recognized to regulate diverse functions, involving energy homeostasis, the sleep-wake cycle, stress responses, and reward-seeking behaviors. Additionally, it is suggested that orexin-A deficiency is...

  • Research Progress in the Correlation Between Dopamine and Clinical Characterization of Narcolepsy
    by Wan-Yu Zhao on April 30, 2024

    Dopamine,a neurotransmitter ubiquitous in the body fluids,blood,and urine of mammals and humans,is responsible for regulating their functions and metabolism.The dopamine system is involved in the neurobiological mechanisms of narcolepsy in animals and humans.However,researchers have drawn different or even opposite conclusions when measuring the dopamine level in the cerebrospinal fluid of narcolepsy patients.Studies have confirmed that the occurrence of narcolepsy is related to the irreversible...

  • Type 1 Narcolepsy in Pregnancy: A Case Report and Review of Literature
    by Asnat Yuabov on April 29, 2024

    Background Type 1 narcolepsy (with cataplexy) is a rare disorder affecting the central nervous system and is characterized by the inability to control sleep-wake cycles. There is a paucity of data regarding management during pregnancy. Case This is a 23-year-old primigravida with narcolepsy and cataplexy, treated with methylphenidate in the third trimester, resulting in an improvement of episodes of cataplexy. A review of the literature reveals information regarding options for medical...