Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026

Manipulation of Gene Function in Mexican Cavefish
Published on: April 22, 2019
Hypocretin deficiency develops during onset of human narcolepsy with cataplexy
Andri Savvidou1, Stine Knudsen, Mia Olsson-Engman
1Paediatric Department, Blekinge Hospital, Karlskrona, Sweden.
Study Objectives:
Although hypothesized through animal studies, a temporal and causal association between hypocretin deficiency and the onset of narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) has never been proven in humans.
Setting:
Paediatric Department, Blekinge Hospital, Sweden, and Danish Center for Sleep Medicine, Glostrup Hospital, Denmark.
Patient And Results:
Two weeks after his second Pandemrix-vaccination, a 10 year old HLA-DQB1*0602-positive boy developed NC. The CSF hypocretin-1 level was 10 pg/ml. However, CSF saved from a pre-narcolepsy episode of Lyme disease revealed a normal hypocretin-1 level (318 pg/ml).
Conclusions:
We confirm that hypocretin deficiency develops in parallel to the onset of human narcolepsy with cataplexy.
Related Concept Videos
Narcolepsy
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology
Cushing Syndrome I: Introduction
Huntington Disease l: Introduction
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
