Narcolepsy
(28/10/09)
What is narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a persistent sleep disorder thought to be associated with a disturbance of the sleep regulating system in the brain. Its cause is not fully understood and it cannot be cured. However, there are now various treatments that make it possible in many patients to live a more normal life.
The main symptom of narcolepsy is an irresistible need to fall asleep during the day, even after an apparently good night's sleep. People with narcolepsy tend to become drowsy or fall asleep without warning at inappropriate times, such as at work, or when eating or driving, and this can lead to dangerous accidents. It can also have a severe impact on their ability to live a normal life, and may lead to job loss, educational or emotional problems such as depression.
Narcolepsy affects men and women. It most often starts in the age range 15-25 years, although it may appear at younger or older ages. It is a life-long condition and no curative treatment is known yet.
What causes narcolepsy?
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder with an underlying cause that is related to how the brain regulates sleep and wakefulness. It is clearly a physical disease, and not a mental one. The mechanisms of sleep regulation in the brain are extremely complex and are only partially understood. It is clear, however, that different areas of the brain regulate different kinds of sleep.
Recently, a team at the Stanford Centre for Narcolepsy have studied hypocretin (also known as orexin) - a newly discovered chemical transmitter in the brain. They suggested that narcoleptic dogs do not respond normally to the release of the hypocretin in the brain.
Another team, from the University of Texas, has shown that, in mice, a disturbance of the hypocretin system leads to the animals developing symptoms of narcolepsy.
Hypocretin is found mainly in a part of the brain known as the anterior hypothalamus, an area known to play an important role in regulating sleep. Currently, this is the subject of intense research.
Dr. Bruno Baconnet
Senior Director
Medical Affairs
Cephalon Europe