The neurobiological basis of narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is the most common neurological cause of chronic sleepiness. The discovery about 20 years ago that narcolepsy is caused by selective loss of the neurons producing orexins (also known as hypocretins) sparked great advances in the field. Here, we review the current understanding of how orex...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature reviews. Neuroscience 2019-02, Vol.20 (2), p.83-93
Main Authors: Mahoney, Carrie E, Cogswell, Andrew, Koralnik, Igor J, Scammell, Thomas E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Autoimmune Diseases
Humans
Immune system
Lymphocytes T
Narcolepsy
Narcolepsy - metabolism
Narcolepsy - pathology
Narcolepsy - physiopathology
Nervous System - metabolism
Nervous System - pathology
Nervous System - physiopathology
Neurobiology
Neurons
Orexins
Orexins - metabolism
Sleep
Sleep and wakefulness
Sleep disorders
T cells
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Narcolepsy is the most common neurological cause of chronic sleepiness. The discovery about 20 years ago that narcolepsy is caused by selective loss of the neurons producing orexins (also known as hypocretins) sparked great advances in the field. Here, we review the current understanding of how orexin neurons regulate sleep-wake behaviour and the consequences of the loss of orexin neurons. We also summarize the developing evidence that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disorder that may be caused by a T cell-mediated attack on the orexin neurons and explain how these new perspectives can inform better therapeutic approaches.
ISSN:1471-003X
1471-0048
1469-3178
DOI:10.1038/s41583-018-0097-x