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Narcolepsy is a neurological condition most characterized by Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS). A narcoleptic will most likely experience disturbed nocturnal sleep, which is often confused with insomnia, and disorder of REM or rapid eye movement sleep. It is one of the dyssomnias. A narcoleptic may also fall asleep at any random time. Narcolepsy may refer to: Narcolepsy, a type of dyssomnia, a neurological condition most characterized by episodes of sleep Narcolepsy, a song by Ben Folds Five from their 1999 album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner Category: ... Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). ... // G00-G99 - Diseases of the nervous system (G00-G09) Inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system (G00) Bacterial meningitis, not elsewhere classified (G01) Meningitis in bacterial diseases classified elsewhere (G02) Meningitis in other infectious and parasitic diseases classified elsewhere (G03) Meningitis due to other and unspecified causes (G04) Encephalitis, myelitis... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The Mendelian Inheritance in Man project is a database that catalogues all the known diseases with a genetic component, and - when possible - links them to the relevant genes in the human genome. ... The Disease Bold textDatabase is a free website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions, symptoms, and medications. ... eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. ... Hypersomnia, also known as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), is excessive amount of sleepiness. ... This article is about the sleeping disorder. ... Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes. ... Dyssomnias are a broad classification of sleeping disorder that make it difficult to get to sleep, or to stay sleeping. ...

The term narcolepsy derives from the French word narcolepsie created in 1880 by the French physician Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau (1859-1928) by combining the Greek narke numbness, stupor and lepsis attack, seizure.^[1] Jean-Baptiste-Édouard Gélineau (born 1859, in Blaye, Gironde; died 1928 in Argeles Gazost, Pyrnees) was the French physician who first described the eponymous disease, known in English as narcolepsy. ...

Symptoms

The main characteristic of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), even after adequate night time sleep. A person with narcolepsy is likely to become drowsy or to fall asleep, often at inappropriate times and places. Daytime naps may occur without warning and may be physically irresistible. These naps can occur several times a day. They are typically refreshing, but only for a few hours. Drowsiness may persist for prolonged periods of time. In addition, night time sleep may be fragmented with frequent awakenings.

Four other "classic" symptoms of narcolepsy, which may not occur in all patients, are cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnogogic hallucinations, and automatic behavior. Cataplexy is an episodic condition featuring loss of muscle function, ranging from slight weakness (such as limpness at the neck or knees, sagging facial muscles, or inability to speak clearly) to complete body collapse. Episodes may be triggered by sudden emotional reactions such as laughter, anger, surprise, or fear, and may last from a few seconds to several minutes. The person remains conscious throughout the episode. Sleep paralysis is the temporary inability to talk or move when waking (or less often, falling asleep). It may last a few seconds to minutes. This is often frightening but is not dangerous. Hypnagogic hallucinations are vivid, often frightening, dreamlike experiences that occur while dozing, falling asleep and/or while awakening. Automatic behavior means that a person continues to function (talking, putting things away, etc.) during sleep episodes, but awakens with no memory of performing such activities. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of people with narcolepsy experience automatic behavior during sleep episodes. , sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations also occur in people who do not have narcolepsy, more frequently in people who are suffering from extreme lack of sleep. Cataplexy is generally considered to be unique to narcolepsy and is analogous to sleep paralysis in that the usually protective paralysis mechanism occurring during sleep is inappropriately activated. The opposite of this situation (failure to activate this protective paralysis) occurs in rapid eye movement behavior disorder. Cataplexy is a medical condition which often affects people who have narcolepsy, a disorder whose principal signs are EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness), sleep attacks, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations[1] and disturbed night-time sleep. ... The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli (1781) is thought to be one of the classic depictions of sleep paralysis perceived as a demonic visitation. ... Hypnagogia (also spelled hypnogogia) are the experiences a person can go through in the hypnagogic (or hypnogogic) state, the period of falling asleep. ... Automatism, from the Greek automatismos or self action, is the spontaneous production of often purposeless verbal or motor behavior without conscious self-control, self-conceptualization or self-censorship. ... Two girls laughing Laughter is an audible expression or appearance of merriment or amusement or an inward feeling of joy and pleasure (laughing on the inside). ... This article is about the emotion. ... For other uses, see Fear (disambiguation). ... // Introduction Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder, or RBD, was first described by Schenck et al. ...

In most cases, the first symptom of narcolepsy to appear is excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness. The other symptoms may begin alone or in combination months or years after the onset of the daytime naps. There are wide variations in the development, severity, and order of appearance of cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations in individuals. Only about 20 to 25 percent of people with narcolepsy experience all four symptoms. The excessive daytime sleepiness generally persists throughout life, but sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations may not.

Although these are the common symptoms of narcolepsy, many (although less than 40% of people with narcolepsy)^{[citation needed]} also suffer from insomnia for extended periods of time. This article is about the sleeping disorder. ...

The symptoms of narcolepsy, especially the excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, often become severe enough to cause serious problems in a person's social, personal, and professional life.

Normally, when an individual is awake, brain waves show a regular rhythm. When a person first falls asleep, the brain waves become slower and less regular. This sleep state is called non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. After about an hour and a half of NREM sleep, the brain waves begin to show a more active pattern again. This sleep state, called REM sleep (rapid eye movement sleep), is when most remembered dreaming occurs. Associated with the EEG-observed waves during REM sleep, muscle atonia is present (called REM atonia). Electroencephalography is the neurophysiologic exploration of the electrical activity of the brain by the application of electrodes to the scalp. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is the normal stage of sleep characterized by rapid movements of the eyes. ... For other uses, see Dream (disambiguation). ... Rapid eye movement (REM) is the stage of sleep characterized by rapid saccadic movements of the eyes. ...

In narcolepsy, the order and length of NREM and REM sleep periods are disturbed, with REM sleep occurring at sleep onset instead of after a period of NREM sleep. Thus, narcolepsy is a disorder in which REM sleep appears at an abnormal time. Also, some of the aspects of REM sleep that normally occur only during sleep — lack of muscular control, sleep paralysis, and vivid dreams — occur at other times in people with narcolepsy. For example, the lack of muscular control can occur during wakefulness in a cataplexy episode; it is said that there is intrusion of REM atonia during wakefulness. Sleep paralysis and vivid dreams can occur while falling asleep or waking up. Simply put, the brain does not pass through the normal stages of dozing and deep sleep but goes directly into (and out of) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This has several consequences:

• Night time sleep does not include as much deep sleep, so the brain tries to "catch up" during the day, hence EDS.
• People with narcolepsy may visibly fall asleep at unpredicted moments (such motions as head bobbing are common).
• People with narcolepsy fall quickly into what appears to be very deep sleep.
• They wake up suddenly and can be disoriented when they do (dizziness is a common occurrence).
• They have very vivid dreams, which they often remember in great detail.
• People with narcolepsy may dream even when they only fall asleep for a few seconds.

Causes

While the cause of narcolepsy has not yet been determined, scientists have discovered conditions that may increase an individual's risk of having the disorder. Specifically, there appears to be a strong link between narcoleptic individuals and certain genetic conditions. One factor that may predispose an individual to narcolepsy involves an area of Chromosome 6 known as the HLA complex. There appears to be a correlation between narcoleptic individuals and certain variations in HLA genes, although it is not required for the condition to occur. HLA region of Chromosome 6 The human leukocyte antigen system (HLA) is the name of the human major histocompatibility complex (MHC). ...

Certain variations in the HLA complex are thought to increase the risk of an auto-immune response to protein-producing neurons in the brain. The protein produced, called hypocretin or orexin, is responsible for controlling appetite and sleep patterns. Individuals with narcolepsy often have reduced numbers of these protein-producing neurons in their brains. Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. ... A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin showing coloured alpha helices. ... Orexins, also called hypocretins, are the common names given to a pair of highly excititory neuropeptide hormones that were simultaneously discovered by two groups of reseachers in rat brains. ... Orexins, also called hypocretins, are the common names given to a pair of highly excitatory neuropeptide hormones that were simultaneously discovered by two groups of reseachers in rat brains. ...

The neural control of normal sleep states and the relationship to narcolepsy are only partially understood. In humans, narcoleptic sleep is characterized by a tendency to go abruptly from a waking state to REM sleep with little or no intervening non-REM sleep. The changes in the motor and proprioceptive systems during REM sleep have been studied in both human and animal models. During normal REM sleep, spinal and brainstem alpha motor neuron depolarization produces almost complete atonia of skeletal muscles via an inhibitory descending reticulospinal pathway. Acetylcholine may be one of the neurotransmitters involved in this pathway. In narcolepsy, the reflex inhibition of the motor system seen in cataplexy is believed identical to that seen in normal REM sleep.^{[citation needed]} Proprioception (from Latin proprius, meaning ones own) is the sense of the position of parts of the body, relative to other neighbouring parts of the body. ... Alpha motor neurons (α-MNs) are large lower motor neurons of the brainstem and spinal cord. ... In biology, depolarization is the event a cell undergoes when its membrane potential grows more positive with respect to the extracellular solution. ... In medicine, atony (or atonia, or atonic) refers to a muscle that has lost its strength. ... A top-down view of skeletal muscle Skeletal muscle is a type of striated muscle, usually attached to the skeleton. ... The chemical compound acetylcholine, often abbreviated as ACh, was the first neurotransmitter to be identified. ... Chemical structure of D-aspartic acid, a common amino acid neurotransmitter. ...

In 2004 researchers in Australia induced narcolepsy-like symptoms in mice by injecting them with antibodies from narcoleptic humans. The research has been published in the Lancet providing strong evidence suggesting that some cases of narcolepsy might be caused by autoimmune disease.^[2]

Narcolepsy is strongly associated with HLA DQB1*0602 genotype.^[3] There is also an association with HLA DR2 and HLA DQ1. This may represent linkage disequilibrium. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is the non-random association of alleles at two or more loci on a chromosome. ...

Despite the experimental evidence in human narcolepsy that there may be an inherited basis for at least some forms of narcolepsy, the mode of inheritance remains unknown.

Some cases are associated with genetic diseases such as Niemann-Pick disease^[4] or Prader-Willi syndrome^[5]. Niemann-Pick disease is an inherited condition involving lipid metabolism (the breakdown and use of fats and cholesterol in the body) in which harmful amounts of lipids accumulate in the spleen, liver, lungs, bone marrow, and brain. ... Prader-Willi syndrome (abbreviated PWS) is a very rare genetic disorder, in which seven genes (or some subset thereof) on chromosome 15 are missing or unexpressed (chromosome 15q partial deletion) on the paternal chromosome. ...

Epidemiology

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It is estimated that as many as 3 million people worldwide are affected by narcolepsy. In the United States, it is estimated that this condition afflicts as many as 200,000 Americans^{[citation needed]}, but fewer than 50,000 are diagnosed. It is as widespread as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis and more prevalent than cystic fibrosis, but it is less well known. Narcolepsy is often mistaken for depression, epilepsy, or the side effects of medications. It can also be mistaken for poor sleeping habits, recreational drug use, or laziness. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... On the Threshold of Eternity. ... Adverse effect, in medicine, is an abnormal, harmful, undesired and/or unintended side-effect, although not necessarily unexpected, which is obtained as the result of a therapy or other medical intervention, such as drug/chemotherapy, physical therapy, surgery, medical procedure, use of a medical device, etc. ...

Narcolepsy can occur in both men and women at any age, although its symptoms are usually first noticed in teenagers or young adults. There is strong evidence that narcolepsy may run in families; 8 to 12 percent of people with narcolepsy have a close relative with this neurologic disorder.

Narcolepsy has its typical onset in adolescence and young adulthood. There is an average 15-year delay between onset and correct diagnosis which may contribute substantially to the disabling features of the disorder. Cognitive, educational, occupational, and psychosocial problems associated with the excessive daytime sleepiness of narcolepsy have been documented. For these to occur in the crucial teen years when education, development of self-image, and development of occupational choice are taking place is especially damaging. While cognitive impairment does occur, it may only be a reflection of the excessive daytime somnolence. Teen redirects here. ... In general, diagnosis (plural diagnoses) has two distinct dictionary definitions. ...

The prevalence of narcolepsy is about 1 per 2,000 persons^[6]. It is a reason for patient visits to sleep disorder centers, and with its onset in adolescence, it is also a major cause of learning difficulty and absenteeism from school. Normal teenagers often already experience excessive daytime sleepiness because of a maturational increase in physiological sleep tendency accentuated by multiple educational and social pressures; this may be disabling with the addition of narcolepsy symptoms in susceptible teenagers. In clinical practice, the differentiation between narcolepsy and other conditions characterized by excessive somnolence may be difficult. Treatment options are currently limited. There is a paucity in the literature of controlled double-blind studies of possible effective drugs or other forms of therapy. Mechanisms of action of some of the few available therapeutic agents have been explored but detailed studies of mechanisms of action are needed before new classes of therapeutic agents can be developed. The double blind is ray charles is ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesis ray charlesof the scientific method, used to prevent research...

Narcolepsy is an underdiagnosed condition in the general population. This is partly because its severity varies from obvious to barely noticeable. Some people with narcolepsy do not suffer from loss of muscle control. Others may only feel sleepy in the evenings.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is relatively easy when all the symptoms of narcolepsy are present. But if the sleep attacks are isolated and cataplexy is mild or absent, diagnosis is more difficult. It is also possible for cataplexy to occur in isolation.

Two tests that are commonly used in diagnosing narcolepsy are the polysomnogram and the multiple sleep latency test. These tests are usually performed by a sleep specialist. The polysomnogram involves continuous recording of sleep brain waves and a number of nerve and muscle functions during nighttime sleep. When tested, people with narcolepsy fall asleep rapidly, enter REM sleep early, and may awaken often during the night. The polysomnogram also helps to detect other possible sleep disorders that could cause daytime sleepiness. Polysomnogram (PSG) is a multi-channel (poly) recording (gram) during sleep (somno). A doctor may order a polysomnogram because the patient has a complaint such as daytime fatigue or sleepiness that may be from interrupted sleep. ... The Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) is a sleep disorder diagnostic tool. ...

For the multiple sleep latency test, a person is given a chance to sleep every 2 hours during normal wake times. Observations are made of the time taken to reach various stages of sleep (sleep latency). This test measures the degree of daytime sleepiness and also detects how soon REM sleep begins. Again, people with narcolepsy fall asleep rapidly and enter REM sleep early. There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

Treatment

The drowsiness is normally treated using amphetamine-like stimulants such as methylphenidate, racemic amphetamine, dextroamphetamine, and methamphetamine, or modafinil, a new stimulant with a different pharmacologic mechanism. In Fall 2007 an alert for severe adverse reactions to modafinil was issued by the FDA [1]. Vitamin R redirects here. ... In chemistry, a racemate is a mixture of equal amounts of left- and right-handed stereoisomers of a chiral molecule. ... Amphetamine or Amfetamine(Alpha-Methyl-PHenEThylAMINE), also known as beta-phenyl-isopropylamine and benzedrine, is a prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults and children. ... Dextroamphetamine is a powerful psychostimulant which produces increased wakefulness, energy and self-confidence in association with decreased fatigue and appetite. ... This article is about the psychostimulant, d-methamphetamine. ... Modafinil is a eugeroic drug generally prescribed to treat narcolepsy, made by the pharmaceutical company Cephalon Inc. ... Modafinil is a eugeroic drug generally prescribed to treat narcolepsy, made by the pharmaceutical company Cephalon Inc. ...

Other medications used are codeine^[7] and selegiline. Another drug that is used is atomoxetine^[8] (Strattera), a non-stimulant and Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (NRI), that has little or no abuse potential^[9]. In many cases, planned regular short naps can reduce the need for pharmacological treatment of the EDS to a low or non-existent level. Cataplexy is frequently treated with tricyclic antidepressants such as clomipramine, imipramine, or protriptyline. Venlafaxine, a newer antidepressant which blocks the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, has shown usefulness in managing symptoms of cataplexy. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB), a medication recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, is the only medication specifically indicated for cataplexy. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate has also been shown to reduce symptoms of EDS associated with narcolepsy. While the exact mechanism of action is unknown, GHB is thought to improve the quality of nocturnal sleep. For the band, see Codeine (band). ... Selegiline (l-deprenyl, Eldepryl® or Anipryl® [veterinary]) is a drug used for the treatment of early-stage Parkinsons disease and senile dementia. ... Atomoxetine is the first non-stimulant drug approved for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ... Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRIs) are compounds that increase amounts of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the brain by inhibiting its reuptake at synapses. ... Clomipramine (brand-name Anafranil®) is a tricyclic antidepressant. ... Imipramine (sold as Antideprin, Deprenil, Deprimin, Deprinol, Depsonil, Dynaprin, Eupramin, Imipramil, Irmin, Janimine, Melipramin, Surplix, Tofranil) is an antidepressant medication, a tricyclic antidepressant of the dibenzazepine group. ... Protriptyline (Vivactil®) is a tricyclic antidepressant indicated for depression and ADHD. Categories: | ... GHB redirects here. ... FDA redirects here. ...

Treatment is tailored to the individual based on symptoms and therapeutic response. The time required to achieve optimal control of symptoms is highly variable, and may take several months or longer. Medication adjustments are also frequently necessary, and complete control of symptoms is seldom possible. While oral medications are the mainstay of formal narcolepsy treatment, lifestyle changes are also important. The main treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy is with a group of drugs called central nervous system stimulants. For cataplexy and other REM-sleep symptoms, antidepressant medications and other drugs that suppress REM sleep are prescribed. A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... Sustained-Release 15mg Dexedrine Spansules. ... Prozac, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, Venlafaxine An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication or other substance (nutrient or herb) used for alleviating depression or dysthymia (milder depression). ...

In addition to drug therapy, an important part of treatment is scheduling short naps (10 to 15 minutes) two to three times per day to help control excessive daytime sleepiness and help the person stay as alert as possible. Daytime naps are not a replacement for nighttime sleep.

Ongoing communication between the health care provider, patient, and the patient's family members is important for optimal management of narcolepsy.

Finally, a recent study reported that transplantation of hypocretin neurons into the pontine reticular formation in rats is feasible, indicating the development of alternative therapeutic strategies in addition to pharmacological interventions ^[10]

Coping with narcolepsy

Learning as much about narcolepsy as possible and finding a support system can help patients and families deal with the practical and emotional effects of the disorder, possible occupational limitations, and situations that might cause injury. A variety of educational and other materials are available from sleep medicine or narcolepsy organizations.

Support groups exist to help persons with narcolepsy and their families.

To imagine what a person with narcolepsy copes with daily, keep in mind that while many are not sleep-deprived (in the classical sense), a major symptom of narcolepsy is akin to sleep deprivation in a normal person; as a normal person, imagine going years functioning off just 3-4 hours of sleep per night. While lifestyle changes and drug therapy can help largely mitigate many symptoms of narcolepsy, there currently exists no complete and permanent solution, therefore patience, empathy and self-education are excellent coping tools.

Individuals with narcolepsy, their families, friends, and potential employers should know that:

• Narcolepsy is a life-long condition that may require continuous medication.
• Although there is no cure for narcolepsy at present, several medications can help reduce its symptoms.
• People with narcolepsy can lead productive lives with proper medical care and lifestyle changes.
• A major physiological and physical effect of narcolepsy is roughly akin to the effects of sleep deprivation; such effects can often be controlled and minimized through a combination of lifestyle changes and drug therapy.
• Individuals with narcolepsy should avoid jobs that require driving long distances or handling hazardous equipment or that require alertness for lengthy periods (especially where the consequences of falling asleep are dangerous to themselves or others).
• Parents, teachers, spouses, and employers should be aware of the symptoms of narcolepsy. This will help them avoid the mistake of confusing the person's behavior with laziness, hostility, rejection, or lack of interest and motivation. It will also help them provide essential support and cooperation.
• Employers can promote better working opportunities for individuals with narcolepsy by permitting special work schedules and nap breaks.

Doctors generally agree that lifestyle changes can be very helpful to those suffering with narcolepsy. Suggested self-care tips, from the National Sleep Foundation, University at Buffalo, and Mayo Clinic, include:

• Take several short daily naps (10-15 minutes) to combat excessive sleepiness and sleep attacks.
• Develop a routine sleep schedule – try to go to sleep and awaken at the same time every day.
• Alert your employers, co-workers and friends in the hope that others will accommodate your condition and help when needed.
• Do not drive or operate dangerous equipment if you are sleepy. Take a nap before driving if possible. Consider taking a break for a nap during a long driving trip.
• Join a support group.
• Break up larger tasks into small pieces and focusing on one small thing at a time.
• Take several short walks during the day.
• Carry a tape recorder, if possible, to record important conversations and meetings.

Narcolepsy in popular culture

Narcolepsy has been used by some as a form of humor. Depictions of the disorder can range greatly in accuracy. Look up Humour in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

• Tom Lovett, a normal teenage boy turned sleeper agent suffers from narcolepsy in Thomas E Sniegoski's "The Sleeper Conspiracy" book series.
• French movie Narco portrays the disease.
• The band Third Eye Blind wrote a song called Narcolepsy, describing the narcoleptic narrator's uncontrollable nightmares and sleep paralysis.
• In the episode "Best Man for the GOB" of Arrested Development, George Sr. hires a narcoleptic stripper in order to convince his accountant Ira Gilligan that he has killed the stripper in order to get him to leave town.
• Edward Norton's character in the film Fight Club mentions the scare of the disorder to his doctor, where his doctor tells him he needs natural sleep.
• The lead character in Gus Van Sant's moving hustler drama My Own Private Idaho, played by River Phoenix, has narcolepsy. A dictionary definition of the condition is presented in the opening sequence. The acceptance and support he receives through these episodes by Keanu Reeves' character illustrates their humanity and counterpoints their dehumanizing work.
• In the movie Rat Race, one of the main characters (Enrico Pollini, played by Rowan Atkinson) has narcolepsy as well as being very eccentric. This portrayal has been criticized for its accuracy and sensitivity of the disorder.
• In the movie Moulin Rouge!, the Argentinian has narcolepsy and falls through Christian's roof. This is how he is introduced to the Bohemians that will later take him to the Moulin Rouge^[11]
• In the movie Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, a woman with narcolepsy was shown as the cause of several slap-stick accidents.
• Singer and pianist Ben Folds wrote and performed a song called Narcolepsy. The song was a metaphor for people's tendency to be emotionally numb during large life events. ^[12]
• In the anime movie The Place Promised In Our Early Days, the female lead develops narcolepsy and eventually sleeps for a few years at a time, having dreams of a parallel world.
• In the anime and manga One Piece, Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy and Monkey D. Garp are all narcoleptic, falling asleep during meals or fights. Luffy even learned how to eat while sleeping because he doesn't like to miss the meals when he is sleeping.
• In the anime La Corda D'oro Keiichi Shimizu, who plays the cello, demonstrates many symptoms of narcolepsy, including falling asleep as well as automatic behaviour
• In the visual novel Little Busters!, the main character Riki is narcoleptic.
• The band Placebo wrote a song called "Narcoleptic", on their album Black Market Music.
• In the video game Destroy All Humans!, the scientist Sleepy Ernst has narcolepsy, constantly sleeping under a tree, which leaves him open to be killed by Crypto.
• The West Chester punk outfit Plow United's third and final full length album was entitled Narcolepsy.
• A recurring guest character on The Sopranos was Aaron Arkaway, a devout fundamentalist Christian who has narcolepsy. He was dating Janice Soprano, who explained to her bemused family (when Aaron fell asleep at the dinner table) that "narcolepsy is an AMA-recognized dyssomnia."
• In Shrek the Third, Sleeping Beauty has narcolepsy, hence her name. She is often found dozing off or waking with a start.
• The name of Australian band The Sleepy Jackson was inspired by a former drummer who has narcolepsy.
• In the group, The Wiggles, the character Jeff possibly has narcolepsy as he sleeps far too much causing the others to constantly use the phrase, "Wake up, Jeff!"
• The MV My Angel by Korean duo Fly to the Sky features a man with narcolepsy and his girlfriend. In this MV narcolepsy plays a big part, causing the man to miss his job interview and fall off a high platform in a construction site. His girlfriend ends up dieing due to him falling asleep on the motorcycle while bringing her to the hosipital after she falls off a ladder.
• In Ruby Gloom, Misery's cousin Malaise from the episode "Misery Loves Company" suffers from narcolepsy, causing her to fall asleep in the most untimely situations throughout the episode.
• In the song Girls, Girls, Girls, Jay-Z mentions "Mami's a narcolyptic, always sleepin on Hov".

Narco is 2004 a French film about a narcoleptic who dreams about comic book superheroes. ... Third Eye Blind (frequently abbreviated 3eb) is aalternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. ... Best Man for the GOB was the eighteenth episode aired of TV comedy series Arrested Development. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Ed Norton redirects here. ... Fight Club[1] (1996) is the first published novel by American author Chuck Palahniuk. ... Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. ... My Own Private Idaho is a 1991 gay-themed independent film written and directed by Gus Van Sant, loosely based on Shakespeares Henry IV, part 1. ... River Jude Phoenix (August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an Academy Award- and Golden Globe-nominated American film actor. ... Keanu Charles Reeves (pronounced ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. ... Rat Race is a 2001 comedy film (not to be confused with The Rat Race of 1960) directed by Jerry Zucker. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ... Moulin Rouge is a 2001 Academy Award-winning jukebox musical film directed by Baz Luhrmann. ... Argentina is a Spanish-speaking country in southern South America, situated between the Atlantic Ocean in the east. ... The whip or slapstick is a percussion instrument consisting of two wooden boards joined by a hinge at one end. ... Benjamin Scott Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina[1] is an American singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the musical group Ben Folds Five. ... Animé redirects here. ... The Place Promised in Our Early Days , lit. ... Parallel universe or alternate reality in science fiction and fantasy is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with our own. ... This article is about the comics created in Japan. ... One piece redirects here. ... The flag of the Whitebeard Pirates The Whitebeard Pirates (白ひげ海賊団 Shirohige Kaizokudan) are a fictional fleet of pirates in the Japanese manga/anime One Piece commanded by the pirate Whitebeard. ... Monkey D. Luffy ) is a fictional character and the leading protagonist in the anime and manga series One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. ... This is a list of naval marine characters in the anime and manga series One Piece. ... Sleepeating or Nocturnal Eating Syndrome is a parasomnia where people experience recurrent episodes of eating during their sleep, without being aware of it. ... Little Busters! ) is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key which was released on July 27, 2007 playable on the PC as a DVD. Little Busters! is Keys sixth game, along with other famous titles such as Kanon, Air, and Clannad. ... Placebo are an alternative rock band currently consisting of Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal. ... Black Market Music (2000) is an album by the rock group Placebo. ... Destroy All Humans! is a video game developed by Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. It was released for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 computer entertainment systems on June 21, 2005. ... Plow United was an American rock group formed in Wilmington, Delaware in 1992. ... This article is about the television series. ... The following is a listing of fictional characters from the HBO series, The Sopranos that are friends or family of the Sopranos. ... Information Aliases Parvati Wasatch Gender Female Age 49 Occupation Housewife Family Johnny Boy Soprano (father) Livia Soprano (mother) Tony Soprano (brother) Barbara Soprano Giglione (sister) Carmela Soprano (sister-in-law) Anthony Soprano, Jr. ... This article is about the film. ... Sir Edward Burne-Jones painted The Sleeping Beauty. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Wiggles is an Australian band. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Fly to the Sky (Korean: ) is a South Korean R&B duo, consisting of U.S.-born Brian Joo and South Korean native Hwanhee. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Ruby Gloom is an apparel franchise created by the American company Mighty Fine, and is part of a stationery franchise, usually featured on pencil cases and backpacks. ... Jay-Z (aka the Jigga, HOV and Hova, born Shawn Carter on December 4, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York) is an African American rapper/hip hop artist and record label executive; one of the most popular and successful rappers of the late 1990s and early 2000s. ...

See also

• Cataplexy
• Dyssomnia
• Orexin
• Microsleep
• List of people with narcolepsy

Cataplexy is a medical condition which often affects people who have narcolepsy, a disorder whose principal signs are EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness), sleep attacks, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations[1] and disturbed night-time sleep. ... Dyssomnias are a broad classification of sleeping disorder that make it difficult to get to sleep, or to stay sleeping. ... Orexins, also called hypocretins, are the common names given to a pair of highly excitatory neuropeptide hormones that were simultaneously discovered by two groups of reseachers in rat brains. ... A microsleep is a period of sleep lasting no more than a few seconds up to a minute. ... This is a list of notable people thought to suffer from narcolepsy. ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sources

• Mitler, M M (June 1991). "Relative Efficacy of Drugs for the treatment of Sleepiness in Narcolepsy". Sleep 14 (3): 218. 
• Mayer, G (August 1995). "Selegiline Treatment in Narcolepsy". Clinical Neuropharmacology 18 (4): 306. 
• Chabas, D (October 2003). "The Genetics of Narcolepsy". Annual Review of Genomics & Human Genetics 4: 459. 
• Smith, et al., A J (June 2004). "A functional autoantibody in narcolepsy". Lancet: 2122 – 2124. 

External links

• Stanford University: Center for Narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy Network Organization
• Narcolepsy Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
• http://www.narcolepsy.org.uk/index_html
• Read about Narcolepsy in the Sleeptionary
• What is Narcolepsy
• Narcolepsy: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment
• Narcolepsy & Cataplexy videos and case study
• Cell therapy to treat narcolepsy
• [2]