 |
|
Persons with narcolepsy with cataplexy have low levels of CSF hypocretin-1
August 01, 2007WESTCHESTER, Ill. -- Persons with narcolepsy with cataplexy have low levels of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1, a protein thought to help regulate sleep and wakefulness, according to a study published in the August 1st issue of the journal SLEEP.
The study, authored by Mona Skard Heier, MD, PhD, of Ullevål University Hospital in Oslo, Norway, focused on 64 previously diagnosed patients: 47 with narcolepsy with cataplexy, seven with narcolepsy without cataplexy and 10 with idiopathic central nervous system (CNS) hypersomnia, a condition characterized by recurrent daytime sleepiness without the abrupt sleep attacks classically seen in narcolepsy. The patients answered a questionnaire that asked about sleep habits, daytime sleepiness, accessory symptoms, duration and treatment.
Low hypocretin-1 values were found in 72 percent of those patients with narcolepsy and cataplexy. Patients with low CSF hypocretin-1 levels reported more extensive muscular involvement during cataplectic attacks than patients with normal levels.
Patients with narcolepsy without cataplexy and idiopathic CNS hypersomnia all had normal hypocretin-1 levels. No significant clinical or biochemical differences were found between these patient groups.
"Although hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis were most frequently reported by patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy than in the other patient groups, there was no correlation to low hypocretin-1 values," said Heier. "Hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis are usually thought to be isolated components of REM sleep in the waking state. Similarly, cataplexy has been considered as an isolated manifestation of REM sleep atonia, triggered by emotional stimuli."
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes people to fall asleep uncontrollably during the day. It also includes features of dreaming that occur while awake. Other common symptoms include sleep paralysis, hallucinations and cataplexy.
About one out of every 2,000 people is known to have narcolepsy. The chance that you have narcolepsy is higher when a relative also has it. It is very rare for more than two people in the same family to have this sleep disorder. It affects the same number of men and women.
Those who suspect they might be suffering from narcolepsy, or another sleep disorder, are urged to consult with their primary care doctor or a sleep specialist.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Patients with narcolepsy without cataplexy and idiopathic CNS hypersomnia all had normal hypocretin-1 levels. No significant clinical or biochemical differences were found between these patient groups.
"Although hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis were most frequently reported by patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy than in the other patient groups, there was no correlation to low hypocretin-1 values," said Heier. "Hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis are usually thought to be isolated components of REM sleep in the waking state. Similarly, cataplexy has been considered as an isolated manifestation of REM sleep atonia, triggered by emotional stimuli."
Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder that causes people to fall asleep uncontrollably during the day. It also includes features of dreaming that occur while awake. Other common symptoms include sleep paralysis, hallucinations and cataplexy.
About one out of every 2,000 people is known to have narcolepsy. The chance that you have narcolepsy is higher when a relative also has it. It is very rare for more than two people in the same family to have this sleep disorder. It affects the same number of men and women.
Those who suspect they might be suffering from narcolepsy, or another sleep disorder, are urged to consult with their primary care doctor or a sleep specialist.
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Narcolepsy Current Events and Narcolepsy News RSSPET imaging focuses on medication's purported ability to improve mental performance
Concerned by the growing numbers of people using stimulant medications such as methylphenidate (MP)-either legally or illegally-to improve attention and focus, researchers used positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the radiotracer fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) to assess the effects of the drug on brain function in the normal human brain.
JCSM: A single subjective question can be an effective sleepiness screening tool
A single subjective (SS) question may be an effective screening tool for excessive daytime sleepiness, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM).
New study in the journal SLEEP finds a high prevalence of eating disorders in narcoleptics
The majority of patients with narcolepsy/cataplexy experience a number of symptoms of eating disorders, with an irresistible craving for food and binge eating as the most prominent features, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
Journal SLEEP: Methylphenidate can have sleep benefits in adults with ADHD
Treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) appears to have beneficial effects on sleep parameters in adults with ADHD, including increased sleep efficiency and a feeling of improved restorative value of sleep, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
2 different neural pathways regulate loss and regain of consciousness during general anesthesia
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers have answered long-running questions about the way that anesthetics act on the body, by showing that the cellular pathway for emerging from anesthesia is different from the one that drugs take to put patients to sleep during operations.
Practice parameters discuss treatment for narcolepsy, other hypersomnias of central origin
Practice parameters published in the December 1 issue of the journal SLEEP serve as both an update of previous practice parameters for the therapy of narcolepsy and as the first practice parameters to address treatment of other hypersomnias of central origin, including idiopathic hypersomnia, recurrent hypersomnia and hypersomnia due to medical condition.
Hormone links sleep, hunger and metabolism, researchers find
While investigating how the hormone orexin might control sleep and hunger, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered, to their surprise, that it activates a protein, HIF-1, long known to stimulate cancerous tumor growth.
Fish get insomnia, eyes wide open, say Stanford sleep researchers
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have hooked a fish that suffers from insomnia in their quest to understand the genetics behind sleep disorders.
Insomniac fish shed light on the molecular basis of sleep disorders
Sleep disorders are common and poorly understood. In humans, narcolepsy is a sleep disorder associated with sleepiness, abnormal dreaming, paralysis and insomnia.
Study: Modafinil is effective in treating excessive sleepiness
A study published in the October 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM) finds that modafinil is well-tolerated in the treatment of excessive sleepiness associated with disorders of sleep and wakefulness such as shift work sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and narcolepsy, and does not affect cardiovascular or sleep parameters.
More Narcolepsy Current Events and Narcolepsy News Articles
 | Narcolepsy: A Funny Disorder That's No Laughing Matter by Marguerite J. Utley This book provides accurate facts about all aspects of narcolepsy, a little-known neurological sleep disorder. It is estimated that 150,000-250,000 people in the U.S. have narcolepsy, but most of those have not yet been diagnosed. In the past, patients have seen an average of five or more physicians over a decade or longer before receiving a correct diagnosis of narcolepsy. As the public ... |
 | Aberrations by Penelope Przekop Twenty-one-year-old narcoleptic Angel Duet knows her father harbors secrets. He loves and protects her, but his suspicious refusal to discuss her mother s death drives Angel to worship an image created from the little history she does have: her father's sketchy stories and her mother's treasured photography, studies of clouds that have hung in the their foyer for more than twenty years. When her... |
 | Psychosocial Aspects of Narcolepsy |
 | Narcolepsy and Hypersomnia (Lung Biology in Health and Disease) This is the first and only guide to discuss narcolepsy as an autoimmune disease. Compiled by an international group of more than 40 authors, this reference book supplies an engaging and comprehensive review of the major topics and key issues associated with narcolepsy and hypersomnia. Spanning the latest advances in the field, this source covers current diagnostic procedures, genetic... |
 | The Official Patient's Sourcebook on Narcolepsy by James N. Parker, Philip M. Parker This book has been created for patients who have decided to make education and research an integral part of the treatment process. Although it also gives information useful to doctors, caregivers and other health professionals, it tells patients where and how to look for information covering virtually all topics related to narcolepsy (also Gelineau's Syndrome; narcoleptic syndrome; paroxysmal... |
 | Narcolepsy - A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References by ICON Health Publications In March 2001, the National Institutes of Health issued the following warning: "The number of Web sites offering health-related resources grows every day. Many sites provide valuable information, while others may have information that is unreliable or misleading." Furthermore, because of the rapid increase in Internet-based information, many hours can be wasted searching, selecting, and... |
 | Narcolepsy Medical Guide by Qontro Medical Guides The Narcolepsy Medical Guide is a publication which has been designed to better help readers understand Narcolepsy. This Qontro Medical Guide has been designed with the reader in mind, and is a useful information source for readers at all levels looking to learn more about Narcolepsy. The Narcolepsy Medical Guide is highly recommended for those interested in understanding and learning more about... |
| Narcolepsy & Hypersomnia by B. Roth, Bedirich Roth | |
| Sleep disorders: Insomnia and narcolepsy by Henry Kellerman | |
 | Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology: Narcolepsy by Gale Reference Team This article covers Narcolepsy: A sleep disorder whose primary symptom is irresistible attacks of sleepiness during the daytime.The article is excerpted from Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. This single-volume, accessible resource covers the entire spectrum of psychology, including: notable people, theories and terms; landmark case studies and experiments; applications of psychology in... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |