Table of ContentsIntroductionBasics of NarcolepsyNarcolepsy in AnimalsNarcolepsy and Circadian RhythmsNarcolepsy and Emotions (1)Conclusion “I've heard that sometimes a version of you has to die before you die another more enlightened version can be born. I think it's true after seeing my dead body walking around. »Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionWith more than seven billion humans in the world, it is clear that the human experience is a relatively independent and unique thing . However, there are aspects of being human – or even being alive – that connect humans and animals. The need to breathe, sleep, eat and propagate the species transcends time, culture and even taxonomic diversity. With this in mind, certain processes make for an interesting study into how animals and humans function. Along the same lines, the phenomenon of narcolepsy in living beings – humans and animals – constitutes a unique study of biological and circadian processes. Simply put, narcolepsy is the phenomenon of daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and other associated symptoms like fragmented sleep. Much research has been conducted on this topic, so knowledge about narcolepsy – its characterizations, symptoms, diagnosis and physiology – is well established. This discussion paper examines narcolepsy both in general and in terms of three specific models of narcolepsy and how it manifests. First, the article moves on to an overview of narcolepsy, including its symptoms, diagnosis, and physiology. Second, the article discusses narcolepsy in animals; this second section mainly deals with rats and mice. Third, the article examines narcolepsy in relation to circadian rhythm and questions whether narcolepsy occurs in the same way during the day as it does at night. Finally, the article discusses the role of emotion in narcolepsy and the types of emotional feelings that can trigger a narcoleptic attack. Although this discussion is not exhaustive, examining these different aspects of the scientific knowledge surrounding narcolepsy will go a long way in establishing an understanding of the phenomenon. Foundations of Narcolepsy First, the overall discussion will benefit from turning to an overview of what narcolepsy is in scientific terms. and how it works. As noted above, narcolepsy is characterized by various symptoms, such as “excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, and fragmented sleep” (Baumann, Bassetti, & Scammell, 2011, 5). Simply put, cataplexy is a medical condition that causes individuals to collapse (while remaining conscious) after the onset of a very strong emotion or the physical response to that emotion, such as laughter (Baumann, Bassetti and Scammell, 2011, 5). . As we will see, due to the confluence of cataplexy and fragmented sleep, these two symptoms are considered indicators (if not of pre-existing conditions) of narcolepsy. However, opinion is still unsettled on this front. As the authors cited above state, "the prevalence of narcolepsy without cataplexy is largely unknown, as an appropriate population-based study would require MSLT of all subjects"; however, in case studies they also note that narcolepsy patients without cataplexy account for between 20 and 50% of all narcolepsy cases. Obviously, although there is some conception of the link between cataplexy and narcolepsy, scientific knowledge so farhave not established a direct link between the two types of symptoms, despite the fact that scientists have studied narcolepsy for over a century. As Baumann, Bassetti, and Scammell (2011) note, “until recently, its cause remained a mystery” (5). The biggest breakthrough came in 2000, when two independent research groups discovered the physiological cause of narcolepsy: "a selective loss of the neurons in the hypothalamus that produce hypocretin." 'orexins)' (Baumann, Bassetti and Scammell, 2011, 5). In other words, narcolepsy is not caused by a chemical imbalance or chemical response, but by the pre-existing configuration of neurons in an individual's brain. It is with this “revolutionary perspective” that “research on narcolepsy has progressed rapidly, with new discoveries each year that have improved our understanding of this disorder” (Baumann, Bassetti, & Scammell, 2011, 6). Despite this progress, the main research question that remains is what "kills" these neurons that cause narcolepsy. But what are the consequences of narcolepsy? One of the main symptoms of narcolepsy is that it "onsets mainly in adolescence" and often worsens with "the onset of puberty", with the main experience in early-onset patients being unrefreshing sleep ( Wehrle & Bruck, 2011, 32). The consequence of this chronology is as much social as psychological: “The widespread and often serious psychosocial effects arise in part from a delay in diagnosis. Serious academic failures were a common consequence. Symptoms affected work and life goals. Increased social withdrawal and lower self-esteem were often evidence of this. Drowsiness was a problem both on public transport and while driving, significantly affecting autonomous mobility” (Wehrle & Bruck, 2011, 32). With this in mind, it is clear that scientific knowledge around narcolepsy must be deepened in order to better recognize this disease. As the authors point out, "increased awareness of the disease and the provision of psychoeducational support, in conjunction with early diagnosis and medical treatment, are strongly justified to prevent the most common educational and psychosocial problems, including risk of depression” (Wehrle & Bruck, 2011, 32). This is confirmed by another academic article, which also notes the rate of occurrence of narcolepsy: it "occurs in approximately 1 in 2,000 individuals and typically begins in the teens and early twenties" with prevalence during of life from 1 to 18 per 1,000 people (Kishi et al., 2004, 117; Ohayon et al., 2002). Both of these academic sources point out that although there is a large amount of knowledge about narcolepsy, scientists are constantly learning more. The three specific models of narcolepsy discussed below should show how this knowledge is developing and what it means for narcolepsy patients. Narcolepsy in Animals First of all, looking at narcolepsy in animals is a good first step in gaining knowledge about the phenomenon. The prevalence and symptoms of narcolepsy in animals can greatly contribute to the development of scientific knowledge about narcolepsy in humans. As one source states: “To facilitate further research, it is imperative that researchers reach consensus regarding the assessment of narcoleptic behavior and EEG phenomenology in these models” – including animal models (Chen, Brown , McKenna & McCarley, 2009, 296). To address this problem, the authors examine different modelsof narcolepsy. The first concerns domestic animals such as sheep, horses, dogs and even bulls (Chen, Brown, McKenna, & McCarley, 2009). The authors focus on dogs as the primary source of information on narcolepsy, since dogs have the highest rate of narcolepsy, particularly with cataplexy (Chen, Brown, McKenna, & McCarley, 2009). The authors have specific insight into the canine model of narcolepsy: “Pedestrian analysis indicated an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance with full penetrance…it became clear that both familial and sporadic forms of canine narcolepsy exist” ( Chen, Brown, McKenna & McCarley, 2009, 297). This discovery is one of the first steps toward understanding not only why narcolepsy occurs, but also why there is a shortage of necessary neurons in the hippocampus in the first place – that is- i.e. a genetic mutation. However, the authors point out that "it should be noted that genetic mutation alone cannot explain the complete symptomatic development of narcolepsy", since dogs treated with anti-inflammatory agents at an early age reduced both cataplexy and narcolepsy (Chen, Brown, McKenna & McCarley, 2009, 297). The authors also look at the specific environments and triggers that can lead to the onset of narcolepsy in animal models. For example, the authors found that there were three distinct stages of cataplexy in dogs: "The initial stage exhibited muscle atonia, wake-like EEG, and visual tracking...The second stage resembled a REM sleep with hippocampal theta activity…The final stage was characterized by EEG with mixed frequency and amplitude before a transition to wakefulness or sleep” (Chen, Brown, McKenna & McCarley, 2009, 298). These canine models are a good start for researchers. Rodent models of the phenomenon provide a good resource for narcolepsy research. According to one study, episodes of narcolepsy in mice were characterized by the following symptoms: "abrupt cessation of intentional motor activity associated with a sudden and sustained change in posture that was maintained throughout the episode, ending abruptly with the complete resumption of intentional motor activity. » (Chen, Brown, McKenna and McCarley, 2009, 301). Narrating these symptoms, combined with examining the activities and events that preceded the seizures, helps form a scientific understanding of how narcolepsy occurs and what may precipitate narcoleptic seizures. This also helps to understand how and when narcolepsy patients return to a normal state of wakefulness or sleep after a narcoleptic attack and how long they may last. Another study examined a more specific aspect of the animal model of narcolepsy: the impact of genes on the prevalence and symptoms of narcolepsy. This is actually one of the original studies that showed the importance of neurons and genes in narcolepsy in animals and humans. As these authors state: "We report that a null mutation induced by targeted disruption of the mouse orexin gene results in an autosomal recessive phenotype with features remarkably similar to narcolepsy" (Chemelli et al., 1999, 437). In other words, the authors discovered that the onset of narcolepsy in mice was directly linked to a specific type of gene – or neuron. As the authors conclude: “These observations clearly identify orexins as neuropeptides with an important function in the regulation of sleep”(Chemelli et al., 1999, 437). This study therefore establishes the specific type of neuron, orexin, as the main factor affecting narcolepsy. Narcolepsy and Circadian Rhythms The other topic that provides insight into how narcolepsy works has to do with circadian rhythms. The main question here is whether narcolepsy is linked to circadian rhythms; in other words, does narcolepsy occur more during the day, at night, or equally at all hours of the day? Because this aspect is more easily observed than other aspects of narcolepsy, there is a large amount of knowledge on the subject. When it comes to sleep and circadian rhythms in general, there is one source worth quoting at length: “A series of discoveries over the past decade have begun to identify the brain circuits and neurotransmitters that regulate our cycles daily sleep and wakefulness. The latter depends on a network of cell groups which activate the thalamus and the cerebral cortex. A key switch in the hypothalamus turns off this arousal system during sleep. Other hypothalamic neurons stabilize the switch, and their absence results in an inappropriate shift in behavioral states, as occurs in narcolepsy” (Saper, Scammell, & Lu, 2005, 1257). In other words, narcolepsy is not directly affected by the human's internal circadian rhythm, but rather by the internal processes of the hypothalamus. This is confirmed by another source, who states that "Mechanisms that potentially disrupt the circadian rhythm of leptin levels in hypocretin-deficient narcoleptic humans include abnormalities of the sleep-wake cycle and/or disruption of the circadian distribution of leptin." autonomous activity” (Kok et al., 2001, 8246). In other words, the neurological process that affects narcoleptic humans is completely independent of the circadian rhythm. This is confirmed again by a third study, which found that "the homeostatic process of sleep regulation is intact in narcoleptics...it appears that the circadian clock itself functions normally in narcoleptics" (Dantz, Edgar and Derment , 1994, 24). With this in mind, it can be safely concluded that narcoleptic attacks are just as likely to occur during the day as at night, since narcolepsy is not directly affected by the circadian rhythm. Narcolepsy and Emotions (1) The final topic relevant to understanding narcolepsy in human and animal models shows how narcoleptic attacks are linked to emotional feelings. Above all, it is clear that emotion has a role to play in narcoleptic crises; for example, one study found that "emotions were more frequent and intense in narcoleptic SOREM than in nocturnal REM in narcoleptic or normal subjects, with anxiety/fear showing the greatest increase, followed by joy/ exaltation” (Fosse, Stickgold). & Hobson, 2002, 724). In this regard, SOREM refers to REM that occurs during the first stage of daytime naps and nighttime sleep (Fosse, Stickgold & Hobson, 2002, 724). This finding clearly shows that extreme emotions of both types – both positive and negative – can play a role in the onset and duration of narcoleptic attacks, at least once sleep begins. As these authors conclude, "REM sleep in patients with narcolepsy provides a unique opportunity to study emotion and analyze its psychophysiology", and their study found that "narcolepsy intensifies the emotion of REM dreaming, especially anxiety/fear and joy/elation, and this is seen most clearly during SOREM sleep” (Fosse, Stickgold &.