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Neuroendocrinology of Human Narcolepsy

  • Chapter
The Orexin/Hypocretin System

Part of the book series: Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience ((CCNE))

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Abstract

Neuroendocrine and metabolic disturbances have been postulated to accompany or even cause narcolepsy ever since the first part of the 20th century. In 1924 Redlich (1) hypothesized that pituitary function is disturbed in patients with narcolepsy, in 1934 Daniels (2) described an association with obesity, and in 1957 Yoss and Daly (3) discussed (and questioned) the fact that hypothyroidism was frequently diagnosed in narcoleptic humans. However, these early observations were made at a time when narcolepsy was not clearly defined. Sleep apnea, for example, was not recognized as a separate disease entity. Moreover, determination of the plasma concentration of many hormones was impossible. The first (neuro) endocrine studies in narcoleptic humans were carried out in the second part of the 20th century, focusing on circulating levels of prolactin growth hormone (GH), and cortisol (4–6). Unfortunately, these studies were all hampered by methodological shortcomings and/or immaturity of techniques. In the course of time, analytical techniques have greatly improved, and only recently mathematical methods were developed that allow quantitative appraisal of hormone secretion rates and mapping of pulsatile hormone release patterns (7).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Gert Jan Lammers MD, PhD & Sebastiaan Overeem MD

  2. Department of Neurology, University Medical Center, St. Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Sebastiaan Overeem MD

  3. Department of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Hanno Pijl MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Gert Jan Lammers MD, PhD
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  2. Sebastiaan Overeem MD
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  3. Hanno Pijl MD, PhD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Narcolepsy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA

    Seiji Nishino MD, PhD

  2. Department of Pharmacology Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Takeshi Sakurai MD, PhD

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© 2006 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Lammers, G.J., Overeem, S., Pijl, H. (2006). Neuroendocrinology of Human Narcolepsy. In: Nishino, S., Sakurai, T. (eds) The Orexin/Hypocretin System. Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-950-8:329

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