Narcolepsy, Cataplexy, Heart Rate, and Blood Pressure

Non-Dipping Blood Pressure Profile in Narcolepsy with Cataplexy

BACKGROUND Patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC) mostly exhibit undetectable hypocretin levels. Hypocretin system is one of the key players in the complex interaction between sleep and the cardiovascular system. We tested the hypothesis that hypocretin deficiency affects cardiovascular risk factors by measuring nighttime and daytime ambulatory blood pressure (BP) and the night-to-day BP ratio...

Narcolepsy and Cataplexy

After hearing the punch line of the joke, the teenager falls to the floor, almost as if actually punched. She remains there, completely unable to move. She hears her parents reassure her friends that they need not worry about her because she will be all right in a few minutes. She is embarrassed and frustrated as the episode continues, and her friends begin to leave. They bid her goodbye, but s...

Narcolepsy and Cataplexy

Epidemiology [3] Prevalence is estimated as 25 per 100,000 in Caucasian populations. [4] Age of onset is typically around adolescence. A smaller number of cases presents at around 35 years. Less than 5% of narcolepsy with cataplexy occurs in children. One study found that it was often linked to complex movement disorders. [5] It is possible that incidence statistics would increase if diagnostic...

Heart rate and blood pressure changes during sleep-waking cycles and cataplexy in narcoleptic dogs.

Cataplexy is the abrupt loss of muscle tone experienced by narcoleptics. It is usually precipitated by strong emotions or athletic activity. It has been hypothesized that cardiovascular variables have a role in the triggering of cataplexy. In the present study, we have utilized the narcoleptic canine model to directly investigate changes in heart rate and blood pressure in relation to cataplect...

The neurobiology of narcolepsy-cataplexy.