Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is the term given to a sleep disorder in which the brain is unable to regulate the sleep cycle properly. The patient will suffer from excessive daytime sleep or even sudden bouts of nap.

Narcolepsy is believed to have strong connections with misguided immune attacks, and is therefore suspected of being an autoimmune disease. Patients suffering from Narcolepsy are also at the risk of sleep-paralysis, insomnia, hallucinations or even cataplexy.

Cataplexy is a condition in which the person suffers from sudden spells of muscle weakness. It is the most common symptom of narcolepsy according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and afflicts more than 3,000 people in the United States alone.

Fortunately, research has laid out the possibility of a treatment focusing on the immune system that could be used against the disease. One of the possible causes of the disorder is decreased levels of hypocretin or orexin in the brain. The deficiency might result from an abnormal immune system that attacks on the brain cells that produce hypocretin.

One of the feasible cures for Narcolepsy is the use of T-cells to treat the sleep disorder with an immune-suppressing therapy. T cells are a key part of immune system defenses against infection, and researchers believe that narcolepsy patients have blood T cells that react to a particular hyprocretin protein.

Bentham Science Publishers’ subscription based journal, “CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets” publishes research articles and reviews on the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, genomics and biochemistry of contemporary molecular targets involved in neurological and central nervous system (CNS) disorders e.g. disease specific proteins, receptors, enzymes, genes. For more information on Narcolepsy, you can refer to one of the articles in this journal: “The Hypocretins and their Role in Narcolepsy” (http://www.benthamscience.com/cdtcnsnd/contabs/cdtcnsnd8-4.htm#5).