16 months ago
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (AScribe Newswire) -- Narcolepsy Network announced Wednesday to its members and supporters newly published research that clearly establishes that narcolepsy is an auto-immune disorder. An autoimmune component has been long suspected in narcolepsy, leading in the mid-1980s to a Japanese study which associated narcolepsy with a specific immune system marker. In a 1998 breakthrough, narcolepsy was tied to the loss of brain cells located in the hypothalamus that produce the hypocretin neurotransmitters, further implicating the immune system This latest discovery moves us closer to understanding what causes this cell destruction. The article, "Narcolepsy is strongly associated with the T-cell receptor alpha locus," published in Nature Genetics earlier this week, details the work of a prestigious team of international researchers led by Emmanuel Mignot, MD PhD, Director of Stanford University's Center for Narcolepsy and Chair of Narcolepsy Network's Medical Advisory Board. "At last, we now know for sure narcolepsy involves the immune system," Dr. Mignot says. Through research spanning several continents and involving three distinct ethnic groups, a tight association has now been found between narcolepsy and a genetic mutation in the "T-cell receptor alpha locus," a region on human chromosome 14. T-cells are the immune system's vehicle for identifying and attacking foreign bodies such as bacteria and viruses. In an auto-immune disorder, these cells may mistakenly attack the body's own cells. Further research is needed to determine the precise role of this mutation in the development of narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an often misunderstood and debilitating sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, overpowering sleep attacks and fragmented nighttime sleep. It also includes the REM-related symptoms of cataplexy - a loss of muscle tone triggered by sudden emotional stimuli, which is unique to narcolepsy - and hallucinations and/or sleep paralysis upon falling asleep and/or waking. Symptoms vary in number and severity from one person to another, as does response to available treatments. For some, narcolepsy is mildly inconvenient. For others, it can be disabling. People with narcolepsy greet each new development with renewed hope for the future. The first-line medications for treating the symptoms of narcolepsy (Provigil and Xyrem) have only become available within the past decade or so. While they have significantly improved the quality of life for many, patients may still experience limiting residual symptoms. As awareness of narcolepsy grows both in the public arena and within the medical community, time to diagnosis is decreasing. As a result, the narcolepsy patient population includes an increasingly higher percentage of children, adolescents and young adults. Patricia Duffin Higgins, RN, President of Narcolepsy Network, says "It is especially for these young people that we must keep alive hope for the development of more effective treatment options and if not a cure, at least the ability to identify those at risk for developing narcolepsy and the means to prevent it in future generations. Dr Mignot gives us that hope: This (latest finding) is opening the door for preventive therapies." "People with narcolepsy are so very fortunate to have cutting-edge researchers committed to solving the mysteries of our disorder. It is no surprise to us that this latest finding provides a new and novel model for research in over 100 other unsolved immune-related disorders," Higgins states. Narcolepsy Network strongly encourages its members to participate in research studies and has facilitated several events over the past two years at which participants were able to donate blood for this and other DNA studies.
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