title: The sleepy teenager - diagnostic challenges.
abstract: The sleepy teenager puts the doctor in a, often tricky, situation where it must be decided if we deal with normal physiology or if we should suspect pathological conditions. What medical investigations are proper to consider? What differential diagnoses should be considered in the first place? And what tools do we actually have? The symptoms and problems that usually are presented at the clinical visit can be both of medical and psychosocial character - and actually they are often a mixture of both. Subsequently, the challenge to investigate the sleepy teenager often includes the examination of a complex behavioral pattern. It is important to train and develop diagnostic skills and to realize that the physiological or pathological conditions that can cause the symptoms may have different explanations. Research in sleep disorders has shown different pathological mechanisms congruent with the variations in the clinical picture. There are probably also different patterns of involved neuronal circuits although common pathways may exist. The whole picture remains to be drawn in this interesting and challenging area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Neurology, IKE, County Council, Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden ; Neurology Unit, Department of Medical Specialist, IMM, County Council, Linköping University , Motala , Sweden ; Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden ; Division of Radiological Sciences, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Landtblom
authors.affiliation: Division of Radiological Sciences, Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engström
keywords: Kleine–Levin syndrome; adolescent; cognition disorders; computer gaming; delayed sleep phase syndrome; fatigue; hypersomnia; narcolepsy