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Neuroendocrine and Neuroimmune Correlates of Narcolepsy

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Neuroendocrine Correlates of Sleep/Wakefulness

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Abstract

The term “narcolepsy” originated in 1880 when it was first described as a pathological condition characterized by irresistible episodes of sleep of short duration.1 In the 1930s, Daniels (as cited in Guilleminault)1 introduced the clinical “tetrad” known today as cataplexy, sleep paralysis (SP), and hypnagogic hallucinations (HH) that are included in the clinical definition of narcolepsy. Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone, typically elicited by strong emotion: laughter, joking or anger. The muscles involved may be inconsequential, such as a fluttering of the cheeks, or functionally significant, as in the case of whole body muscle atonia resulting in complete body collapse. Sleep paralysis is the inability to move either upon falling asleep or upon awakening

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO

    Michele L. Okun

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Colorado at Denver, Denver, CO

    Mary Coussons-Read

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1121

    Daniel P. Cardinali

  2. SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, 11203, New York, USA

    S. R. Pandi-Perumal

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Okun, M.L., Coussons-Read, M. (2006). Neuroendocrine and Neuroimmune Correlates of Narcolepsy. In: Cardinali, D.P., Pandi-Perumal, S.R. (eds) Neuroendocrine Correlates of Sleep/Wakefulness. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-23692-9_27

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