*From the ANA November Newsletter 
Narcolepsy affects an estimated 135,000 to 200,000 people in the United States, possibly more. It is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by abnormally fast transition into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep patterns — sometimes during the day or in the middle of the activities — and can be debilitating. The primary symptom of narcolepsy is excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnolence); many patients also experience cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness, limpness or inability to move), sleep paralysis, and hypnagogic hallucinations (vivid hallucinations experienced as a person is falling asleep). There are two known disease subtypes: narcolepsy and narcolepsy with cataplexy.
We spoke with Pradeep Sahota, MD, FAAN, FANA, FAASM, FAES, FACP, Professor and Chairman of the Department of Neurology, Director of the Sleep Disorders Center, and Director of the Sleep Medicine Program at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, to learn about new developments in narcolepsy treatment and pathophysiology. You can read the full Q&A here.
