Clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy.
Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic/hypnapompic hallucinations. It is currently believed to be caused by a deficiency in hypocretin-producing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus. Diagnosis is by the presence of appropriate clinical symptoms and confirmation by a polysomnogram followed by a multiple sleep latency test. There are nonpharmacologic (eg, scheduled naps, following proper sleep hygiene) and symptom-directed pharmacologic (eg, central nervous system stimulants, modafinil, sodium oxybate, certain antidepressants) treatments that are usually used together for optimal management of narcolepsy.
Ahmed
Imran
I
Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. iahmed00@yahoo.com
Thorpy
Michael
M
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology
D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors