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2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

The etiology of symptomatic narcolepsy and iron metabolites

Research Project

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Project/Area Number 24621002
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Research Field 睡眠科学
Research InstitutionAkita University

Principal Investigator

KANBAYASHI Takashi  秋田大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 准教授 (50323150)

Project Period (FY) 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
Keywordsナルコレプシー / オレキシン / AQP4 / むずむず脚症候群 / 鉄代謝
Outline of Final Research Achievements

Since aquaporin 4 (AQP4=NMO) antibody were positive, 40 patients were diagnosed as NMO related disorder. Hypothalamic lesions associated with marked or moderate orexin deficiency were found in all cases. Since AQP4 is highly expressed in the hypothalamic regions, an immune attack on AQP4 may be responsible for orexin deficiency. Gaining the basic knowledge of symptomatic narcolepsy in immune mediated conditions will be useful for selecting an appropriate treatment and predicting the prognosis of the disease.
Periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) are often associated with restless legs syndrome (RLS). Since, PLMS is also reported in narcoleptic patients, we evaluated CSF ferritin, transferrin and iron in patients with orexin deficient narcolepsy. The patients had higher transferrin and iron levels compared to controls. An increase in transferrin was observed in narcoleptic subjects. Normal ferritin and increased iron levels may possibly suggest a dysregulation of iron metabolites.

Free Research Field

睡眠覚醒障害

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Published: 2016-06-03  

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