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Cell Therapy to Treat Narcolepsy

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Drug Treatment of Sleep Disorders

Part of the book series: Milestones in Drug Therapy ((MDT))

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Abstract

The sleep disorder narcolepsy may now be considered a neurodegenerative disease, as there is a massive reduction in the number of neurons containing the neuropeptide, hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt). Hcrt neurons are solely located in the hypothalamus, particularly in its perifornical, dorsomedial, and lateral portions. Hcrt fibers widely project throughout the brain and generally have excitatory effects on their postsynaptic cells. Patients with narcolepsy have a severe reduction in the levels of Hcrt in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a finding consistent with Hcrt neuronal loss. Experimental models have been generated in order to study the physiology of the Hcrt system and narcolepsy. In consequence, the Hcrt neuronal loss provokes depletion in CSF Hcrt levels and displays behavioral narcoleptic-like symptoms. Given that the Hcrt depletion is the hallmark of narcolepsy, these models represent the opportunity to explore the potential use of transplants as a therapeutical tool in order to treat narcolepsy.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the people working at the Unidad de Trastornos del Movimiento y Sueño (TMS), Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unidad de Trastornos del Movimiento y Sueño (TMS), Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González/IFC-UNAM, Calzada de Tlalpan 4800, Delegación Tlalpan, 14080, México DF, Mexico

    Oscar Arias-Carrión

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  1. Oscar Arias-Carrión
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Correspondence to Oscar Arias-Carrión .

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  1. Independent Pharmaceutical Consultant, Barcelona, Spain

    Antonio Guglietta

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Arias-Carrión, O. (2015). Cell Therapy to Treat Narcolepsy. In: Guglietta, A. (eds) Drug Treatment of Sleep Disorders. Milestones in Drug Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11514-6_12

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