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Valizadeh P, Momtazmanesh S, Plazzi G, Rezaei N. Connecting the dots: An updated review of the role of autoimmunity in narcolepsy and emerging immunotherapeutic approaches. Sleep Med 2024; 113:378-396. [PMID: 38128432 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is a chronic disorder characterized by pathological daytime sleepiness and cataplexy due to the disappearance of orexin immunoreactive neurons in the hypothalamus. Genetic and environmental factors point towards a potential role for inflammation and autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of the disease. This study aims to comprehensively review the latest evidence on the autoinflammatory mechanisms and immunomodulatory treatments aimed at suspected autoimmune pathways in NT1. METHODS Recent relevant literature in the field of narcolepsy, its autoimmune hypothesis, and purposed immunomodulatory treatments were reviewed. RESULTS Narcolepsy is strongly linked to specific HLA alleles and T-cell receptor polymorphisms. Furthermore, animal studies and autopsies have found infiltration of T cells in the hypothalamus, supporting T cell-mediated immunity. However, the role of autoantibodies has yet to be definitively established. Increased risk of NT1 after H1N1 infection and vaccination supports the autoimmune hypothesis, and the potential role of coronavirus disease 2019 and vaccination in triggering autoimmune neurodegeneration is a recent finding. Alterations in cytokine levels, gut microbiota, and microglial activation indicate a potential role for inflammation in the disease's development. Reports of using immunotherapies in NT1 patients are limited and inconsistent. Early treatment with IVIg, corticosteroids, plasmapheresis, and monoclonal antibodies has seldomly shown some potential benefits in some studies. CONCLUSION The current body of literature supports that narcolepsy is an autoimmune disorder most likely caused by T-cell involvement. However, the potential for immunomodulatory treatments to reverse the autoinflammatory process remains understudied. Further clinical controlled trials may provide valuable insights into this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parya Valizadeh
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Sara Momtazmanesh
- School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Network of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran
| | - Giuseppe Plazzi
- IRCCS Istituto Delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences, Università Degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Nima Rezaei
- Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Pediatrics Center of Excellence, Children's Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Hasegawa E, Miyasaka A, Sakurai K, Cherasse Y, Li Y, Sakurai T. Rapid eye movement sleep is initiated by basolateral amygdala dopamine signaling in mice. Science 2022; 375:994-1000. [PMID: 35239361 DOI: 10.1126/science.abl6618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The sleep cycle is characterized by alternating non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleeps. The mechanisms by which this cycle is generated are incompletely understood. We found that a transient increase of dopamine (DA) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) during NREM sleep terminates NREM sleep and initiates REM sleep. DA acts on dopamine receptor D2 (Drd2)-expressing neurons in the BLA to induce the NREM-to-REM transition. This mechanism also plays a role in cataplectic attacks-a pathological intrusion of REM sleep into wakefulness-in narcoleptics. These results show a critical role of DA signaling in the BLA in initiating REM sleep and provide a neuronal basis for sleep cycle generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emi Hasegawa
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Ai Miyasaka
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Katsuyasu Sakurai
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yoan Cherasse
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yulong Li
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Peking University School of Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Takeshi Sakurai
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
- Life Science Center for Tsukuba Advanced Research Alliance (TARA), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
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3
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Ravel JM, Mignot EJM. [Narcolepsy: From the discovery of a wake promoting peptide to autoimmune T cell biology and molecular mimicry with flu epitopes]. Biol Aujourdhui 2019; 213:87-108. [PMID: 31829930 DOI: 10.1051/jbio/2019026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Narcolepsy-cataplexy was first described in the late 19th century in Germany and France. Prevalence was established to be 0.05 % and a canine model was discovered in the 1970s. In 1983, a Japanese study found that all patients carried HLA-DR2, suggesting autoimmunity as the cause of the disease. Studies in the canine model established that dopaminergic stimulation underlies anti-narcoleptic action of psychostimulants, while antidepressants were found to suppress cataplexy through adrenergic reuptake inhibition. No HLA association was found in canines. A linkage study initiated in 1988 revealed in hypocretin (orexin) receptor two mutations as the cause of canine narcolepsy in 1999. In 1992, studies on African Americans showed that DQ0602 was a better marker than DR2 across all ethnic groups. In 2000, hypocretin-1/orexin A levels were measured in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and found to be undetectable in most patients, establishing hypocretin deficiency as the cause of narcolepsy. Decreased CSF hypocretin-1 was then found to be secondary to the loss of the 70,000 neurons producing hypocretin in the hypothalamus, suggesting immune destruction of these cells as the cause of the disease. Additional genetic studies, notably genome wide associations (GWAS), found multiple genetic predisposing factors for narcolepsy. These were almost all involved in other autoimmune diseases, although a strong and unique association with T cell receptor (TCR) alpha and beta loci were observed. Nonetheless, all attempts to demonstrate presence of autoantibodies against hypocretin cells in narcolepsy failed, and the presumed autoimmune cause remained unproven. In 2009, association with strep throat infections were found, and narcolepsy onsets were found to occur more frequently in spring and summer, suggesting upper away infections as triggers. Following reports that narcolepsy cases were triggered by vaccinations and infections against influenza A 2009 pH1N1, a new pandemic strain that erupted in 2009, molecular mimicry with influenza A virus was suggested in 2010. This hypothesis was later confirmed by peptide screening showing higher activity of CD4+ T cell reactivity to a specific post-translationally amidated segment of hypocretin (HCRT-NH2) and cross-reactivity of specific TCRs with a pH1N1-specific segment of hemagglutinin that shares homology with HCRT-NH2. Strikingly, the most frequent TCR recognizing these antigens was found to carry sequences containing TRAJ24 or TRVB4-2, segments modulated by narcolepsy-associated genetic polymorphisms. Cross-reactive CD4+ T cells with these cross-reactive TCRs likely subsequently recruit CD8+ T cells that are then involved in hypocretin cell destruction. Additional flu mimics are also likely to be discovered since narcolepsy existed prior to 2009. The work that has been conducted over the years on narcolepsy offers a unique perspective on the conduct of research on the etiopathogeny of a specific disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marie Ravel
- Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Stanford University, 3615 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Emmanuel J M Mignot
- Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Stanford University, 3615 Porter Drive, Palo Alto, CA, USA
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4
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Black SW, Yamanaka A, Kilduff TS. Challenges in the development of therapeutics for narcolepsy. Prog Neurobiol 2015; 152:89-113. [PMID: 26721620 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2015.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Revised: 11/14/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that afflicts 1 in 2000 individuals and is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy-a sudden loss of muscle tone triggered by positive emotions. Features of narcolepsy include dysregulation of arousal state boundaries as well as autonomic and metabolic disturbances. Disruption of neurotransmission through the hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) system, usually by degeneration of the HCRT-producing neurons in the posterior hypothalamus, results in narcolepsy. The cause of Hcrt neurodegeneration is unknown but thought to be related to autoimmune processes. Current treatments for narcolepsy are symptomatic, including wake-promoting therapeutics that increase presynaptic dopamine release and anticataplectic agents that activate monoaminergic neurotransmission. Sodium oxybate is the only medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration that alleviates both sleep/wake disturbances and cataplexy. Development of therapeutics for narcolepsy has been challenged by historical misunderstanding of the disease, its many disparate symptoms and, until recently, its unknown etiology. Animal models have been essential to elucidating the neuropathology underlying narcolepsy. These models have also aided understanding the neurobiology of the Hcrt system, mechanisms of cataplexy, and the pharmacology of narcolepsy medications. Transgenic rodent models will be critical in the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of narcolepsy, particularly efforts directed to overcome challenges in the development of hypocretin replacement therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Wurts Black
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Akihiro Yamanaka
- Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Thomas S Kilduff
- Center for Neuroscience, Biosciences Division, SRI International, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.
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5
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Abstract
Although narcolepsy was first described in the late nineteenth century in Germany and France, much of the research on this disorder has been conducted at Stanford University, starting with Drs. William C. Dement and Christian Guilleminault in the 1970s. The prevalence of narcolepsy was established, and a canine model discovered. Following the finding in Japan that almost all patients with narcolepsy carry a specific HLA subtype, HLA-DR2, Hugh Mac Devitt, F. Carl Grumet, and Larry Steinman initiated immunological studies, but results were generally negative. Using the narcoleptic canines, Dr. Nishino and I established that stimulants increased wakefulness by stimulating dopaminergic transmission while antidepressants suppress cataplexy via adrenergic reuptake inhibition. A linkage study was initiated with Dr. Grumet in 1988, and after 10 years of work, the canine narcolepsy gene was cloned by in 1999 and identified as the hypocretin (orexin) receptor 2. In 1992, studying African Americans, we also found that DQ0602 rather than DR2 was a better marker for narcolepsy across all ethnic groups. In 2000, Dr. Nishino and I, in collaboration with Dr. Lammers in the Netherlands, found that hypocretin 1 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were undetectable in most cases, establishing hypocretin deficiency as the cause of narcolepsy. Pursuing this research, our and Dr. Siegel's group, examining postmortem brains, found that the decreased CSF hypocretin 1 was secondary to the loss the 70,000 neurons producing hypocretin in the hypothalamus. This finding revived the autoimmune hypothesis but attempts at demonstrating immune targeting of hypocretin cells failed until 2013. At this date, Dr. Elisabeth Mellins and I discovered that narcolepsy is characterized by the presence of autoreactive CD4(+) T cells to hypocretin fragments when presented by DQ0602. Following reports that narcolepsy cases were triggered by vaccinations and infections against influenza A 2009 pH1N1, a new pandemic strain that erupted in 2009, our groups also established that a small epitope of pH1N1 resembles hypocretin and is likely involved in molecular mimicry. Although much remains to be done, these achievements, establishing hypocretin deficiency as the cause of narcolepsy, demonstrating its autoimmune basis, and showing molecular mimicry between hypocretin and sequences derived from a pandemic strain of influenza, are likely to remain classics in human immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel J M Mignot
- Stanford University Center for Sleep Sciences, 3165 Porter Drive, #2178, Palo Alto, CA, 94304, USA,
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6
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Abstract
Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive sleepiness and cataplexy, sudden episodes of muscle weakness during waking that are thought to be an intrusion of rapid eye movement sleep muscle atonia into wakefulness. One of the most striking aspects of cataplexy is that it is often triggered by strong, generally positive emotions, but little is known about the neural pathways through which positive emotions trigger muscle atonia. We hypothesized that the amygdala is functionally important for cataplexy because the amygdala has a role in processing emotional stimuli and it contains neurons that are active during cataplexy. Using anterograde and retrograde tracing in mice, we found that GABAergic neurons in the central nucleus of the amygdala heavily innervate neurons that maintain waking muscle tone such as those in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, lateral pontine tegmentum, locus ceruleus, and dorsal raphe. We then found that bilateral, excitotoxic lesions of the amygdala markedly reduced cataplexy in orexin knock-out mice, a model of narcolepsy. These lesions did not alter basic sleep-wake behavior but substantially reduced the triggering of cataplexy. Lesions also reduced the cataplexy events triggered by conditions associated with high arousal and positive emotions (i.e., wheel running and chocolate). These observations demonstrate that the amygdala is a functionally important part of the circuitry underlying cataplexy and suggest that increased amygdala activity in response to emotional stimuli could directly trigger cataplexy by inhibiting brainstem regions that suppress muscle atonia.
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7
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Plazzi G, Pizza F, Palaia V, Franceschini C, Poli F, Moghadam KK, Cortelli P, Nobili L, Bruni O, Dauvilliers Y, Lin L, Edwards MJ, Mignot E, Bhatia KP. Complex movement disorders at disease onset in childhood narcolepsy with cataplexy. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 134:3477-89. [PMID: 21930661 PMCID: PMC3235554 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Narcolepsy with cataplexy is characterized by daytime sleepiness, cataplexy (sudden loss of bilateral muscle tone triggered by emotions), sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations and disturbed nocturnal sleep. Narcolepsy with cataplexy is most often associated with human leucocyte antigen-DQB1*0602 and is caused by the loss of hypocretin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus of likely autoimmune aetiology. Noting that children with narcolepsy often display complex abnormal motor behaviours close to disease onset that do not meet the classical definition of cataplexy, we systematically analysed motor features in 39 children with narcolepsy with cataplexy in comparison with 25 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. We found that patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy displayed a complex array of ‘negative’ (hypotonia) and ‘active’ (ranging from perioral movements to dyskinetic–dystonic movements or stereotypies) motor disturbances. ‘Active’ and ‘negative’ motor scores correlated positively with the presence of hypotonic features at neurological examination and negatively with disease duration, whereas ‘negative’ motor scores also correlated negatively with age at disease onset. These observations suggest that paediatric narcolepsy with cataplexy often co-occurs with a complex movement disorder at disease onset, a phenomenon that may vanish later in the course of the disease. Further studies are warranted to assess clinical course and whether the associated movement disorder is also caused by hypocretin deficiency or by additional neurochemical abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Plazzi
- Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Bologna, 40123 Bologna, Italy.
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8
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Affiliation(s)
- Seiji Nishino
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Sleep Research Center, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
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9
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Chen L, Brown RE, McKenna JT, McCarley RW. Animal models of narcolepsy. CNS & NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS-DRUG TARGETS 2009; 8:296-308. [PMID: 19689311 DOI: 10.2174/187152709788921717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Narcolepsy is a debilitating sleep disorder with excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy as its two major symptoms. Although this disease was first described about one century ago, an animal model was not available until the 1970s. With the establishment of the Stanford canine narcolepsy colony, researchers were able to conduct multiple neurochemical studies to explore the pathophysiology of this disease. It was concluded that there was an imbalance between monoaminergic and cholinergic systems in canine narcolepsy. In 1999, two independent studies revealed that orexin neurotransmission deficiency was pivotal to the development of narcolepsy with cataplexy. This scientific leap fueled the generation of several genetically engineered mouse and rat models of narcolepsy. To facilitate further research, it is imperative that researchers reach a consensus concerning the evaluation of narcoleptic behavioral and EEG phenomenology in these models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lichao Chen
- Research Service, VA Boston Healthcare System, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Brockton, MA 02301, USA.
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10
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Singareddy R, Uhde T, Commissaris R. Differential effects of hypocretins on noise-alone versus potentiated startle responses. Physiol Behav 2006; 89:650-5. [PMID: 17028045 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2006] [Revised: 07/18/2006] [Accepted: 08/02/2006] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Hypocretins are recently discovered neuropeptides, synthesized exclusively in the hypothalamus with excitatory efferents to noradrenergic, serotonergic, and GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acid) neurons. Hypocretins also increase corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) secretion. These actions suggest a possible role for hypocretins in the neurobiology of anxiety, fear, or startle mechanisms. We examined the effects of intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of hypocretin-A and hypocretin-B on behavior in the Startle Potentiated Startle (SPS) paradigm, a repeated measures, non-shock animal model for studying the classically conditioned enhancement of acoustic startle in the rat. SPS has been used to study effects of anxiolytic treatments. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were tested using the SPS paradigm for 3 days (M-W-F). Following training, rats were anesthetized and 26 gauge stainless cannulae were permanently implanted into the lateral ventricle for intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusions. Following 6-9 days of recovery period, the M-W-F SPS testing was resumed. ICV infusion of both Hypocretin-A (1 and 3 nM) and Hypocretin-B (3 and 10 nM) produced significant reduction in Noise Alone Startle amplitude compared to pre-infusion baseline, whereas infusion with vehicle did not affect Noise Alone Startle. The effect of Hypocretin-B was brief (first 10 min post-infusion), whereas the effect of Hypocretin-A persisted across much of the 50 min post-infusion period. Neither Hypocretin-A nor Hypocretin-B significantly altered the magnitude of the SPS response. Contrary to our expectations, hypocretins seems to possess anxiolytic rather than pro-anxiogenic properties, as indicated by decrease in Noise Alone Startle.
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11
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Eguibar JR, Cortés MDC, Valencia J, Arias-Montaño JA. α2 Adrenoceptors are involved in the regulation of the gripping-induced immobility episodes intaiep rats. Synapse 2006; 60:362-70. [PMID: 16838363 DOI: 10.1002/syn.20305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In 1989 Holmgren et al. (Holmgren et al. 1989 Lab Anim Sci 39:226-228) described a new mutant rat that developed a progressive motor disturbance during its lifespan. The syndrome is characterized by a tremor in the hind limbs followed by ataxia, episodes of tonic immobility, epilepsy, and paralysis. The acronym of these symptoms (taiep) became the name of this autosomic, recessive mutant rat. The taiep rats are neurological mutant animals with a hypomyelination, followed by a progressive demyelination process. At 7-8 months of age, taiep rats develop immobility episodes (IEs) characterized by a cortical desynchronization, associated with the theta rhythm in the hippocampus and changes of the nucal electromyogram (EMG), whose pattern is like rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. These rats also show an altered sleep pattern with an equal REM sleep distribution. This study analyzed therole of alpha(2) adrenoceptors in the expression of gripping-induced IEs in 8-month-old male taiep rats. The alpha(2) adrenoceptor agonists clonidine and xylacine increased the frequency of gripping-induced IEs whereas the alpha(2) antagonists yohimbine and idazoxandecreased or prevented such episodes. These findings correlate with the pharmacological observations in narcoleptic dogs and humans in which alpha(2) adrenergic mechanisms are involved in the modulation of cataplexy. Unexpectedly, the repetitive administration of clonidine resulted in jumping behavior, indicative of phasic activation of extensor musculature. Taken together, our results show that alpha(2) adrenoceptors are involved in the modulation in gripping-induced IEs and after the administration of several doses of clonidine produced phasic motor activation.
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MESH Headings
- Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Agonists
- Adrenergic alpha-2 Receptor Antagonists
- Adrenergic alpha-Agonists/pharmacology
- Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists/pharmacology
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Behavior, Animal/physiology
- Binding, Competitive/physiology
- Brain/drug effects
- Brain/metabolism
- Brain/physiopathology
- Cataplexy/genetics
- Cataplexy/metabolism
- Cataplexy/physiopathology
- Cerebral Cortex/drug effects
- Cerebral Cortex/metabolism
- Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology
- Demyelinating Diseases/complications
- Demyelinating Diseases/genetics
- Demyelinating Diseases/physiopathology
- Disease Models, Animal
- Movement Disorders/genetics
- Movement Disorders/metabolism
- Movement Disorders/physiopathology
- Norepinephrine/metabolism
- Radioligand Assay
- Rats
- Rats, Mutant Strains
- Rats, Sprague-Dawley
- Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha-2/genetics
- Sleep, REM/drug effects
- Sleep, REM/genetics
- Wakefulness/drug effects
- Wakefulness/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- José R Eguibar
- Instituto de Fisiología, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, México.
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12
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Abstract
UNLABELLED Narcolepsy is a chronic debilitating sleep disorder first described in the late 19th century. It is characterized by two major symptoms, excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, and two so-called auxiliary symptoms, hypnagogic hallucinations and sleep paralysis. The final diagnosis relies on polysomnography showing the presence of sleep onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMPs) during the multiple sleep latency test. The presence of HLA DQA1*0102-DQB1*0602 is supportive of the diagnosis. The pathophysiology of the disorder is still unknown but an imbalance between monoamines and acetylcholine is generally accepted. Recent findings in narcoleptic dogs, a natural model of narcolepsy, and in knockout mice revealed that a mutation of type 2 hypocretin receptor plays a major role in the etiology of narcolepsy. Up to now, no mutation has been found in humans except a case of early onset and atypical narcolepsy. However, a marked reduction of hypocretin type 1 has been found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of a majority of patients and a global loss of hypocretins was noted in post-mortem brain tissue of narcoleptic subjects. Conversely, no hypocretin neuron degeneration has been observed in the genetic form of narcolepsy in dogs but no trace of hypocretin was seen in the brain or the CSF in cases of sporadic canine narcolepsy. This suggests that different hypocretinergic mechanisms are involved in sporadic and genetic forms of canine narcolepsy. Treatment has not evolved significantly over the last few years. However, new drugs, such as hypocretin agonists, are currently being developed. SIGNIFICANCE After the discovery of the type 2 hypocretin receptor mutation in canine narcolepsy and the finding of a CSF hypocretin-1 deficiency in human narcolepsy, the major stream of research has involved the hypocretinergic system. However, other lines of research deserve to be pursued simultaneously, in view of comprehensive advancements in the understanding of narcolepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Dauvilliers
- Service de Neurologie B, Hôpital Gui de Chauliac, 80 avenue Augustin Fliche, 34295 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
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13
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Narcolepsy. Sleep 2003. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-0217-3_31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022] Open
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14
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Abstract
The hypocretins (orexins) are two novel neuropeptides (Hcrt-1 and Hcrt-2), derived from the same precursor gene, that are synthesized by neurons located exclusively in the lateral, posterior, and perifornical hypothalamus. Hypocretin-containing neurons have widespread projections throughout the CNS with particularly dense excitatory projections to monoaminergic centers such as the noradrenergic locus coeruleus, histaminergic tuberomammillary nucleus, serotoninergic raphe nucleus, and dopaminergic ventral tegmental area. The hypocretins were originally believed to be primarily important in the regulation of appetite; however, a major function emerging from research on these neuropeptides is the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. Deficiency in hypocretin neurotransmission results in the sleep disorder narcolepsy in mice, dogs, and humans. The hypocretins are also uniquely positioned to link sleep, appetite, and neuroendocrine control. The aim of this review is to describe and discuss the current knowledge regarding the hypocretin neurotransmitter system in narcolepsy and normal sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahrad Taheri
- Stanford University Center for Narcolepsy, 701 Welch Road B, Basement, Palo Alto, California 94304-5742, USA.
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15
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Nishino S, Fujiki N, Ripley B, Sakurai E, Kato M, Watanabe T, Mignot E, Yanai K. Decreased brain histamine content in hypocretin/orexin receptor-2 mutated narcoleptic dogs. Neurosci Lett 2001; 313:125-8. [PMID: 11682143 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3940(01)02270-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
A growing amount of evidence suggests that a deficiency in hypocretin/orexin neurotransmission is critically involved in animal and human forms of narcolepsy. Since hypocretin-containing neurons innervate and excite histaminergic tuberomammillary neurons, altered histaminergic neurotransmission may also be involved in narcolepsy. We found a significant decrease in histamine content in the cortex and thalamus, two structures important for histamine-mediated cortical arousal, in Hcrtr-2 mutated narcoleptic Dobermans. In contrast, dopamine and norepinephrine contents in these structures were elevated in narcoleptic animals, a finding consistent with our hypothesis of altered catecholaminergic transmission in these animals. Considering the fact that histamine promotes wakefulness, decreases in histaminergic neurotransmission may also account for the sleep abnormalities in hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Nishino
- Stanford University Center for Narcolepsy, 701B, First Floor, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA.
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16
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Abstract
The discovery that hypocretins are involved in narcolepsy, a disorder associated with excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy and unusually rapid transitions to rapid-eye-movement sleep, opens a new field of investigation in the area of sleep control physiology. Hypocretin-1 and -2 (also called orexin-A and -B) are newly discovered neuropeptides processed from a common precursor, preprohypocretin. Hypocretin-containing cells are located exclusively in the lateral hypothalamus, with widespread projections to the entire neuroaxis. Two known receptors, Hcrtr1 and Hcrtr2, have been reported. The functional significance of the hypocretin system is rapidly emerging in both animals and humans. Hypocretin abnormalities cause narcolepsy in dogs, human and mice. The role of the hypocretin system in normal sleep regulation is more uncertain. We believe hypocretin cells drive cholinergic and monoaminergic activity across the sleep cycle. Input from the suprachiasmatic nucleus to hypocretin-containing neurons may explain the occurrence of clock-dependent alertness. Other functions are suggested by pharmacological and neurochemical experiments. These include regulation of food intake, neuroendocrine function, autonomic nervous system activity and energy balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hungs
- Stanford Center for Narcolepsy, Department of Psychiatry Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, Ca 94305-5485, USA
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17
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Nakamura T, Uramura K, Nambu T, Yada T, Goto K, Yanagisawa M, Sakurai T. Orexin-induced hyperlocomotion and stereotypy are mediated by the dopaminergic system. Brain Res 2000; 873:181-7. [PMID: 10915829 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(00)02555-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 256] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
We demonstrated involvement of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic system in orexin-induced hyperlocomotion and stereotypy in rats. In double-label immunohistochemical study of rat brain, we found that tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-immunoreactive cells in the VTA received innervation from orexin immunoreactive-fibers. Orexin-A induced an increase in [Ca(2+)](i) in isolated A10 dopamine neurons in a dose-dependent manner. In behavioral studies, we found that orexin-A induced hyperlocomotion, stereotypy and grooming behavior when administered centrally in rats, and these effects were abolished by dopamine D(2) (haloperidol and sulpiride) or D(1) (SCH23390) antagonists. These results suggest that the orexin-induced hyperlocomotion, stereotypy and grooming behavior are mediated by the dopaminergic system and this pathway might be involved in orexin-induced emotional responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Nakamura
- Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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18
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Lin L, Faraco J, Li R, Kadotani H, Rogers W, Lin X, Qiu X, de Jong PJ, Nishino S, Mignot E. The sleep disorder canine narcolepsy is caused by a mutation in the hypocretin (orexin) receptor 2 gene. Cell 1999; 98:365-76. [PMID: 10458611 DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81965-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1725] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Narcolepsy is a disabling sleep disorder affecting humans and animals. It is characterized by daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and striking transitions from wakefulness into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In this study, we used positional cloning to identify an autosomal recessive mutation responsible for this sleep disorder in a well-established canine model. We have determined that canine narcolepsy is caused by disruption of the hypocretin (orexin) receptor 2 gene (Hcrtr2). This result identifies hypocretins as major sleep-modulating neurotransmitters and opens novel potential therapeutic approaches for narcoleptic patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Lin
- Center for Narcolepsy, Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305-5485, USA
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19
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MacFarlane JG, List SJ, Moldofsky H, Firnau G, Chen JJ, Szechtman H, Garnett S, Nahmias C. Dopamine D2 receptors quantified in vivo in human narcolepsy. Biol Psychiatry 1997; 41:305-10. [PMID: 9024953 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(96)00003-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Assays in brain tissues from humans suffering from narcolepsy, and from genetically narcoleptic dogs have suggested that dopamine function may be disturbed in this condition. We have used the specific D2 receptor ligand N-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-spiperone and positron tomography to study a group of 6 well-characterized medication-free, HLA-DR2 DRW15 DW6-positive narcoleptic patients and a group of age- and sex-matched control individuals during life. We found no difference in striatal D2 receptor binding between these two groups. These results suggest that narcolepsy is not associated with alterations in D2 receptor density and affinity.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G MacFarlane
- Department of Psychiatry, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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20
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Reid MS, Tafti M, Nishino S, Sampathkumaran R, Siegel JM, Mignot E. Local administration of dopaminergic drugs into the ventral tegmental area modulates cataplexy in the narcoleptic canine. Brain Res 1996; 733:83-100. [PMID: 8891251 PMCID: PMC9050244 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(96)00541-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Cataplexy in the narcoleptic canine may be modulated by systemic administration of monoaminergic compounds. In the present study, we have investigated the effects of monoaminergic drugs on cataplexy in narcoleptic canines when perfused locally via microdialysis probes in the amygdala, globus pallidus/putamen, basal forebrain, pontine reticular formation and ventral tegmental area of narcoleptic and control Doberman pinchers. Cataplexy was quantified using the Food-Elicited Cataplexy Test and analyzed by electroencephalogram, electroculogram and electromyogram. Local perfusion with the monoaminergic agonist quinpirole, 7-OH-DPAT and BHT-920, into the ventral tegmental area produced a dose-dependent increase in cataplexy without significantly reducing basal muscle tone. Perfusion with the antagonist raclopride in the same structure produced a moderate reduction in cataplexy. Local perfusion with quinpirole, 7-OH-DPAT and BHT-920 into the globus pallidus/putamen also produced an increase, while raclopride produced a decrease, in cataplexy in narcoleptic canines. In control animals, none of the above drugs produced cataplexy or muscle atonia when perfused into either the ventral tegmental area or the globus pallidus/putamen. Other monoaminergic drugs tested in these two brain areas; prazosin, yohimbine, amphetamine, SKF 38393 and SCH 23390 had no effects on cataplexy. Local perfusion with each of the above listed drugs had no effect on cataplexy in any of the other brain regions examined. These findings show that cataplexy may be regulated by D2/D3 dopaminergic receptors in the ventral tegmental area and perhaps the globus pallidus/ putamen. It is suggested that neurons in the mesolimbic dopamine system of narcoleptics are hypersensitive to dopaminergic autoreceptor agonists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm S. Reid
- University of California at San Francisco, Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute, San Francisco VA Medical Center, Substance Abuse Treatment Research 116W, 4150 Clement st., San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
| | - Mehdi Tafti
- Stanford University, Sleep Research Center, 701 Welch Rd., Suite 2226. Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | - Seiji Nishino
- Stanford University, Sleep Research Center, 701 Welch Rd., Suite 2226. Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
| | | | - Jerome M. Siegel
- University of California at Los Angeles, Department of Psychiatry, Sepulveda VAMC, Neurobiology Research 151A3, Sepulveda, CA 91343, USA
| | - Emmanuel Mignot
- Stanford University, Sleep Research Center, 701 Welch Rd., Suite 2226. Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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21
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Hublin C, Launes J, Nikkinen P, Partinen M. Dopamine D2-receptors in human narcolepsy: a SPECT study with 123I-IBZM. Acta Neurol Scand 1994; 90:186-9. [PMID: 7847059 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1994.tb02703.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Increased dopamine D2 receptor binding in basal ganglia has been reported in human narcolepsy. These studies have been based on post-mortem material of 8 patients, most of them also medicated for narcolepsy. We studied six narcoleptics without stimulant or anticataplectic medication. The patients had an unambiguous history of cataplexy, and they were also studied polygraphically. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging was performed. The D2 receptor density was determined by using 123I-iodobenzamide (IBZM). The control subjects were 8 unmedicated Parkinson patients with one-sided (hemiparkinsonian) clinical symptoms. The D2 receptor density in them is known to be normal or somewhat increased compared to healthy normals. The striatum/frontal D2 activity ratio was 1.331 +/- 0.084 (with phantom study correction 2.101 +/- 0.300) in the narcoleptic patients, and in the parkinsonian controls 1.321 +/- 0.052 (2.067 +/- 0.185) for the asymptomatic side and 1.335 +/- 0.025 (2.117 +/- 0.090) for the symptomatic side (i.e. contralateral to the side with the clinical extrapyramidal signs). There was no statistical difference between the groups or between the symptomatic and asymptomatic side in the Parkinson patients. Thus, our results differ from the earlier post-mortem studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Hublin
- Department of Neurology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland
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22
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Aldrich
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0316
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23
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Aldrich MS, Hollingsworth Z, Penney JB. Autoradiographic studies of post-mortem human narcoleptic brain. Neurophysiol Clin 1993; 23:35-45. [PMID: 8383284 DOI: 10.1016/s0987-7053(05)80281-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the pathological basis for narcolepsy is unknown, studies of human and canine narcolepsy have suggested that monoamine and cholinergic metabolism may be altered. We used quantitative autoradiography to assess binding of dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and cholinergic ligands to basal ganglia and amygdala of five narcoleptic and 17 control human brains. Dopamine receptor studies revealed significant increases in D-1 and D-2 receptor binding in the caudate nucleus, as well as large but not significant increases of D-1 binding in the medial globus pallidus, and D-2 binding in the lateral globus pallidus and the lateral nucleus of the amygdala. Alpha-adrenergic receptor studies revealed a significant increase in alpha-2 receptor binding in the putamen and large but not significant increases of alpha-2 binding in the caudate nucleus, and basal and lateral nuclei of the amygdala. Alpha-1 receptor binding was decreased in several areas but the changes were not statistically significant. Studies of two narcoleptic brains revealed small but not statistically significant increases in muscarinic receptor binding in the caudate nucleus, putamen, and amygdala. Although we cannot exclude the possibility that stimulant medications used before death may be partly responsible for these findings, the results suggest that human narcolepsy is associated with upregulation of dopamine and alpha-2 adrenergic receptors in specific brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M S Aldrich
- Department of Neurology, Taubman Center, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor 48109-0316
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24
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Valtier D, Dement WC, Mignot E. Monoaminergic uptake in synaptosomes prepared from frozen brain tissue samples of normal and narcoleptic canines. Brain Res 1992; 588:115-9. [PMID: 1393561 DOI: 10.1016/0006-8993(92)91350-n] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Canine narcolepsy, a model of the human disorder, is associated with altered catecholamine but not serotonin (5-HT) metabolism in some brain areas, particularly the amygdala. A possible explanation for these global changes could be the existence of specific defects in monoamine uptake processes. We have studied the uptake of [3H]norepinephrine (NE), [3H]dopamine (DA) and [3H]5-HT in synaptosomes prepared from cortex and amygdala of narcoleptic and control Doberman pinscher brains. Since narcoleptic canines are relatively few in number, we have used a specific brain freezing procedure that has been reported to allow restoration of metabolically functional tissue upon thawing. Preliminary studies comparing monoamine uptake in fresh and frozen brain samples of both groups of dogs were carried out and demonstrated that this procedure significantly altered serotoninergic but not noradrenergic and dopaminergic uptake. All further investigations were then done on synaptosomes prepared from frozen samples. Our results demonstrate that synaptosomal uptake of [3H]NE, [3H]DA and [3H]5-HT in cortex and amygdala are not altered in narcolepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Valtier
- Stanford University, School of Medicine, Sleep Disorders Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304
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25
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Chapter 2. Pharmacological Intervention in Sleep and Circadian Processes. ANNUAL REPORTS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 1992. [DOI: 10.1016/s0065-7743(08)60400-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register]
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