"C"est de la bonne viande", Emmanuel Mignot, a Paris native, whispered to his dog, Beau, as he presented him with an aromatic can of dog food - much more appealing than his usual diet of dry pellets. Beau happily trotted over to the food, rolled his eyes in pleasurable anticipation, and dropped to the floor - completely still and asleep. (Discover 78) Beau is a dog suffering from narcolepsy. Because Beau became excited by the food, he collapsed to the floor in sleep. As unusual as this may sound, Beau is not alone in this world. Narcolepsy doesn't affect just animals but humans as well. Between one in 1,000 and one in 2,000 people in the United States have been diagnosed with this potentially dangerous disease. Narcolepsy, a condition in which a person is overcome by periodic bouts of overwhelming sleep, is a biological disorder stemming from a single genetic defect, prompted by environmental factors. .
Scientists believe that a mutation in a gene encoding a cell-surface protein, or receptor that allows nerve cells to respond to proteins called hypocretins are responsible for narcolepsy. (Travis 148) In some cases, the nerve cells that make the hypocretins, which are responsible for stimulating arousal and regulating sleep, are missing or destroyed by an autoimmune attack - when a person's immune system attacks its own brain tissue believing it is foreign. Yet it is unlikely that this results from heredity since most narcoleptics have no narcoleptic relatives and usually don't show symptoms until the second or third decades of their life. A study that further supports this is the study of narcolepsy involving identical twins. In 75% of the cases in which one twin had a case of narcolepsy, the other was unaffected. Because of this, it is difficult to believe that genetic factors or heredity is the dominant cause of narcolepsy since genes should be passed down to both twins, as they are identical.
This is what a person with narcolepsy has to go through everyday of their life. ... Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder with no known cause. The main trait of narcolepsy is excessive and overwhelming daytime sleepiness. ... A diagnosis is pretty easy when all the symptoms of narcolepsy are present. ... The people whom are around a person with narcolepsy should know the symptoms of narcolepsy. ...
Narcolepsy affects 0.02%-0.04% of the general population in most countries affecting both genders[ CITATION DSM13 l 1033 ]. ... Narcolepsy can co-occur with bipolar, depressive and anxiety disorders. Three insightful articles will offer interesting facts and studies on narcolepsy. ... The study performed olfactory testing on 20 patients with narcolepsy associated with RBD and in 20 narcolepsy patients who had no history of RBD. ... Modafinil is an effective treatment for daytime sleepiness due to narcolepsy. ...
Humans and animals can both be affected by narcolepsy. ... Gelineau first labeled the disorder "Narcolepsy" in the year 1880. ... About half of Narcolepsy cases occur because of severe psychological stress or altered sleeping schedules, and about 40% of people suffering from narcolepsy have mental disorders. ... Cataplexy is a symptom unique to Narcolepsy, and is triggered by emotions. ... The symptoms of Narcolepsy can be very severe, and alter lives greatly. ...
Narcolepsy Abstract Sleep is an essential part of our lives. ... One such sleep disorder is narcolepsy, this disorder is a bit different from most disorders that disallow sleep, with narcolepsy you have no control of your sleep. ... Narcolepsy is characterized by sudden extreme spells of sleepiness. ... The third and final symptom of narcolepsy is called sleep paralysis. ... Now that we know about the symptoms of narcolepsy, it is important that we further define the disorder itself and explore the roots of narcolepsy. ...
(Discover 78) Beau is a dog suffering from narcolepsy. ... Narcolepsy doesn't affect just animals but humans as well. ... A study that further supports this is the study of narcolepsy involving identical twins. In 75% of the cases in which one twin had a case of narcolepsy, the other was unaffected. ... (Discover 81) It would also take a trigger like stress or a virus to cause narcolepsy. ...
Narcolepsy To understand narcolepsy we first must understand what a sleep disorder is. ... About one in 2,000 people suffers from narcolepsy. ... Thus, narcolepsy is a disorder in which REM sleep appears at an abnormal time. ... Narcolepsy has four classic symptoms: • cataplexy. ... Someone with narcolepsy may have many symptoms or very few symptoms. ...
Narcolepsy is a disease that has been on the receiving end of many jokes in our society. ... She revealed that her case of narcolepsy wasn't that bad, but without the Ritalin she would just fall asleep anywhere. ... Narcolepsy is a chronic disease, but not a progressive one. ... This, they say, indicates that environmental conditions are important in human narcolepsy. ... They feel that narcolepsy may be an auto-immune disease, in that the body turns against one of its own tissues are cell types. ...
(Zimbardo pg.98) The three types of sleep disorders are: insomnia, narcolepsy and sleep apnea. ... (Zimbardo pg. 99)Doctors can treat sleep apnea with a "device that pumps extra air into the lungs and jeeps the airway open during sleep." ( Zimbardo PG.99) Narcolepsy is a symptom where you suddenly fall asleep without warning. ... Oddly anything exciting causes a narcoleptic attack "(Zimbardo Pg.99) It is described as a "disorder of REM sleep involving sudden REM sleep attacks accomplished by cataplexy"(Zimbardo pg.99) Cataplexy is a second symptom of narcolepsy. ... Narcolepsy is a disorder...
