Is narcolepsy an autoimmune disease?

Patients first experience narcolepsy between the ages of 10 and 25, and symptoms include falling asleep without warning, excessive daytime sleepiness, hallucinations, slurred speech, sudden loss of muscle tone, temporary weakness of most muscles, and temporary inability to move or speak while falling asleep or waking from sleep.

A new study published in Pharmacological Research describes how scientists have found an autoimmune process in the brain that is likely the trigger for narcolepsy in particular. According to them, narcolepsy therefore shows features of autoimmune diseases and could be treated accordingly.

The process in the brain that the researchers have now discovered triggers the loss of so-called orexin neurons - brain cells that maintain the delicate balance between sleep and wakefulness. It was previously thought to be a strictly genetic disorder induced by external factors such as stress or even bursts of laughter, but as mentioned - fewer orexin neurons have been found in the brains of narcolepsy patients.

But why does the loss of orexin occur? The hypothesis is that due to autoantibodies that bind to tiny granules, orexin neurons are broken down. After all, this has also been shown in studies in mice. The goal now is to locate the area of the brain where autoantibodies attack orexin-producing brain cells.

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.cz