Continuous intrathecal orexin delivery inhibits cataplexy in a murine model of narcolepsy.

ABSTRACT: Narcolepsy-cataplexy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by loss of orexin (hypocretin)-producing neurons, associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks, cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations, and fragmentation of nighttime sleep. Currently, human narcolepsy is treated by providing symptomatic therapies, which can be associated with an array of side effects. Although peripherally administered orexin does not efficiently penetrate the blood-brain barrier, centrally delivered orexin can effectively alleviate narcoleptic symptoms in animal models. Chronic intrathecal drug infusion through an implantable pump is a clinically available strategy to treat a number of neurological diseases. Here we demonstrate that the narcoleptic symptoms of orexin knockout mic

SUBMITTER: Kaushik MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6003319 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature