Orexin supplementation in narcolepsy treatment: A review

Narcolepsy is a rare, chronic neurological disease characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, vivid hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Narcolepsy occurs in approximately 1 of 3000 people, affecting mainly adolescents aged 15 to 30 years. Recently, people with narcolepsy were shown t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medicinal research reviews 2019-05, Vol.39 (3), p.961-975
Main Authors: Nepovimova, Eugenie, Janockova, Jana, Misik, Jan, Kubik, Stepan, Stuchlik, Ales, Vales, Karel, Korabecny, Jan, Mezeiova, Eva, Dolezal, Rafael, Soukup, Ondrej, Kobrlova, Tereza, Pham, Ngoc Lam, Nguyen, Thuy Duong, Konecny, Jan, Kuca, Kamil
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cell transplantation
Drug therapy
Gene therapy
hypocretin
narcolepsy
orexin
orexin agonists
Sleep disorders
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Summary:Narcolepsy is a rare, chronic neurological disease characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, vivid hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. Narcolepsy occurs in approximately 1 of 3000 people, affecting mainly adolescents aged 15 to 30 years. Recently, people with narcolepsy were shown to exhibit extensive orexin/hypocretin neuronal loss. The orexin system regulates sleep/wake control via complex interactions with monoaminergic, cholinergic and GABA‐ergic neuronal systems. Currently, no cure for narcolepsy exists, but some symptoms can be controlled with medication (eg, stimulants, antidepressants, etc). Orexin supplementation represents a more sophisticated way to treat narcolepsy because it addresses the underlying cause of the disease and not just the symptoms. Research on orexin supplementation in the treatment of sleep disorders has strongly increased over the past two decades. This review focuses on a brief description of narcolepsy, the mechanisms by which the orexin system regulates sleep/wake cycles, and finally, possible therapeutic options based on orexin supplementation in animal models and patients with narcolepsy.
ISSN:0198-6325
1098-1128
DOI:10.1002/med.21550