OBJECTIVE To investigate whether neuronal activity-regulated pentraxin (Narp) colocalizes with hypocretin (Hcrt or orexin) in the normal human brain and to determine if Narp staining is lost in the narcoleptic human brain. BACKGROUND Human narcolepsy is characterized by a loss of the peptide hypocretin in the hypothalamus. This loss could result from the degeneration of neurons containing hyp...

Narcolepsy is a disabling neurological sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal REM sleep manifestations. Recently, the role of cytokines and growth hormone in the regulation of sleep and narcolepsy has been considered, and data suggest that proinflammatory cytokines may be involved in sleep and narcoleptic symptoms. Serum and clinical data were obtained from th...

arcolepsy is a chronic, neurologic sleep disorder resulting from the dysregulation of sleep-wake cyN cles. Narcoleptic patients experience excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations. Narcolepsy is about as prevalent as multiple sclerosis, and can be as disabling in its consequences, yet it is underrecognized and underdiagnosed. Because (narcoleptic) ...

Twenty patients with the narcoleptic syndrome were treated separately with dexamphetamine sulphate tablets 10 and 30 mg, Dexedrine Spansules 10 mg, mazindol 4 mg, and fencamfamin hydrochloride 60 mg daily. Each drug was given for four weeks and the effects compared. In these dosages the reported frequency of attacks of narcolepsy was roughly halved with each treatment, dexamphetamine 30 mg dail...

Narcolepsy is considered a homogeneous clinical entity when excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy are present. Cataplexy is a polymorphic symptom that can be very mild and is thus subjectively defined. The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is widely used as a diagnostic test for narcolepsy. A short mean sleep latency and multiple sleep onset REM periods (SOREMPs) are typically observed in...

AN AUTOIMMUNE ETIOLOGY IS HYPOTHETICALLY INVOLVED IN THE PHYSIOPATHOLOGY OF NARCOLEPSY, ALTHOUGH THERE IS CONFLICTING EVIDENCE.1-4 This disorder is related to abnormalities in the hypothalamic hypocretin (orexin) system with a characteristic deficiency in CSF Hypocretin-1 (Hcrt-1) levels in narcoleptic patients.5 The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of hypothalamic-specific anti...