Narcolepsy: more than just falling asleep on the job

In this study, rat hypocretin-containing cells from the hypothalamus (a brain region largely responsible for endocrine function) were grafted to the pontine reticular formation (involved in arousal and awakening). The grafts appeared successful, compared to tissue taken from cerebellar cells, which do not contain hypocretin.

Winston-Churchill.jpegView full sizeWinston ChurchillIn the meantime, individuals suffering from narcolepsy learn the best ways to cope. Perhaps the most famous narcoleptic in history, Winston Churchill, evidently made the most of it, offering some words of wisdom: "You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner... Take off your clothes and get into bed... You get two days in one. Well, at least one-and-a-half."

Arias-Carrión O, Murillo-Rodriguez E, Xu M, Blanco-Centurion C, Drucker-Colín R, Shiromani PJ (2004). Transplantation of hypocretin neurons into the pontine reticular formation: preliminary results. Sleep, 27 (8), 1465-70 PMID: 15683135

Wood, H (2011). "In brief." Nature Reviews Neurology, 7 (10), 537.

Leave a Reply