Narcolepsy News and Research

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Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder, or dyssomnia. The condition is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in which a person experiences extreme fatigue and possibly falls asleep at inappropriate times, such as while at work or at school.

Fatigue and sleep have predictive value for sports performance

Two new studies show that fatigue may impair strike-zone judgment during the 162 game Major League Baseball season, and a MLB player's sleepiness can predict his longevity in the league.

1 Jun 2013

Study: Sleep disturbance may contribute to depression risk by impairing emotion regulation

A new study provides neurobiological evidence for dysfunction in the neural circuitry underlying emotion regulation in people with insomnia, which may have implications for the risk relationship between insomnia and depression.

23 May 2013

Disturbed sleep in adolescents associated with depressed mood, uncertainty about future success

A new study suggests that disturbed sleep in adolescents is associated with more symptoms of depression and greater uncertainly about future success. However, perceived support and acceptance from parents and teachers appears to have a protective effect.

23 May 2013

New study finds association between sleep duration and suicide risk in insomnia

A new study found a relationship between sleep duration and suicidal thoughts in people with insomnia.

16 May 2013

Addressing sleep hygiene prior to CPAP initiation may help improve adherence

A new study suggests that regularity of bedtime prior to initiation of continuous positive airway pressure therapy is an important factor that may influence treatment compliance in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

8 May 2013

Study shows association between diet, sleepiness and alertness

A new study suggests that your level of sleepiness or alertness during the day may be related to the type of food that you eat.

8 May 2013

Study applying OPKO Health's technology to identify synthetic peptoid in NMO patient serum published

OPKO Health, Inc. today announced the publication of a study applying its novel library screening technology to identify a synthetic peptoid that binds to anti-Aquaporin 4 antibodies in the serum of patients with Neuromyelitis optica.

6 Apr 2013

Free online sleep disorders guide for all professionals in primary care

The National Sleep Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive free online sleep disorders resource for all professionals in primary care. The "Sleep Disorders" guide is the updated web version of Dr. Peter Hauri's book, The Sleep Disorders, first published in 1977.

3 Apr 2013

Boosting hypocretin could elevate both mood and alertness in humans

What makes us happy? Family? Money? Love? How about a peptide? The neurochemical changes underlying human emotions and social behavior are largely unknown. Now though, for the first time in humans, scientists at UCLA have measured the release of a specific peptide, a neurotransmitter called hypocretin, that greatly increased when subjects were happy but decreased when they were sad.

8 Mar 2013

Influenza vaccine linked to narcolepsy in children in England

Researchers have found an increased risk for narcolepsy in children who received the swine flu vaccination in England.

1 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Considering baby boomers' future burden on Medicare; Holtz-Eakin endorses state exchanges; The value (or not) of mammograms

The Congressional Budget Office projects that if current policies continue, total federal spending will rise to 24 percent of gross domestic product in 2022. [Republicans and Washington deficit hawks'] proposed solution is a cap on government spending.

7 Dec 2012

Sleep deprivation could affect academic performance of college students

As fall semesters wind down at the country's colleges and universities, students will be pulling all-night study sessions to prepare for final exams. Ironically, the loss of sleep during these all-nighters could actually work against them performing well, says a Harris Health System sleep specialist.

22 Nov 2012

Somnogen induces sleep in patients with primary hypersomnia

Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered that dozens of adults with an elevated need for sleep have a substance in their cerebrospinal fluid that acts like a sleeping pill.

22 Nov 2012

Sleep experts advise people to reset sleep habits when they reset clocks

On Sunday morning, the clocks will fall back to mark the official end of daylight savings time. Northwestern Medicine sleep experts warn that the one hour time shift can be disruptive to sleep patterns, but that it also offers an excellent opportunity to evaluate and improve sleep patterns.

3 Nov 2012

Orexin-A hormone also affects emergence after anesthesia

A neuropeptide hormone called orexin-A—which plays an important role in regulating the normal sleep-wake cycle—also affects emergence (waking up) after anesthesia, reports an experimental study in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

26 Sep 2012

Jazz Pharmaceuticals receives new U.S. patent for Xyrem oral solution

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc. today announced that a new patent related to Xyrem (sodium oxybate) oral solution titled "Microbiologically Sound and Stable Solutions of Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Salt for the Treatment of Narcolepsy" will issue today.

11 Sep 2012

Modus Five launches Sleep Disorder: a Patient Education Multimedia Course

Modus Five has launched a new educational and user-friendly multimedia software program called Sleep Disorder: a Patient Education Multimedia Course. The software program presents helpful information by using rich graphics, interactive content, videos and animations.

6 Sep 2012

FDA grants orphan designation to Aerial BioPharma’s ARL-N05 for treatment of narcolepsy

Aerial BioPharma, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing biologics and small molecules for conditions in the central nervous system, has received orphan drug designation for its narcolepsy drug in development.

30 Aug 2012

Longer looks: A jack-of-all-trades surgeon takes care of Nantucket; Psychiatrist's controversial effort to use brain scans to diagnose mental problems

Dr. Tim Lepore, 67, is a jack-of-all-trades general surgeon, tending to the 10,000 full-time residents of the Massachusetts island of Nantucket and to the many thousand more rich and famous summer-dwellers. Dr. Lepore has dealt with everything from poison ivy and tick-borne illnesses to narcolepsy and toe tourniquet syndrome (when a mother's hair wraps around a baby's toe, cutting off circulation). He counsels alcoholics, and allows patients to barter for health care. He once accepted oatmeal cookies from an immigrant worker who had no money for treatment.

17 Aug 2012

FDA approves Mylan's ANDA for generic Provigil

Mylan Inc. today announced that its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) for Modafinil Tablets USP,100 mg and 200 mg.

10 Aug 2012