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Chapter 11 - Narcolepsy

from Section 2 - Sleep Disorders and Excessive Sleepiness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2011

By
Astrid van der Heide  and
Gert Jan Lammers
Edited by
Michael J. Thorpy  and
Michel Billiard
Michael J. Thorpy
Affiliation:
Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
Michel Billiard
Affiliation:
Guide Chauliac Hospital, Montpellier, France
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Summary

Narcolepsy is best characterized as a disorder of the regulation of sleep and wakefulness, resulting in a variety of symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations (HH), sleep paralysis, and disturbed nocturnal sleep. This chapter focuses on narcolepsy with cataplexy and narcolepsy without cataplexy. Cataplexy is characterized by a sudden bilateral loss of muscle tone, with preserved consciousness, elicited by emotions. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is diagnosed according to the criteria of the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-2). The chapter summarizes the differential diagnoses of EDS and cataplexy. Cataplexy and sleep paralysis are both regarded as expressions of the atonia that physiologically occurs during REM sleep, occurring during wakefulness. Two treatment modalities have proven to be effective: behavioral modification and pharmacological therapy. Pharmacological treatment is supplementary to behavioral advice and should be tailored individually.

Keywords

cataplexyextrahypothalamic manifestationsfunctional neuroimagingpharmacotherapysleepinessnarcolepsyhypnogogic hallucinationshuman narcoleptic patientsthalamocortical neural networks
Type
Chapter
Information
Sleepiness
Causes, Consequences and Treatment
 , pp. 111 - 125
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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