A novel hypothesis for narcolepsy type 1 pathogenesis.

Associate Professor

University of Copenhagen

Birgitte Rahbek Kornum, associate professor, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, has been awarded a Lundbeck Foundation LF Experiments research grant worth DKK 1,991,325.

Narcolepsy type 1 is a sleep disorder hypothesised to be driven by an autoimmune destruction of hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) neurons in the lateral hypothalamus. This project explores the hypothesis that local processes in the hypothalamus induces a susceptible state allowing the autoimmune attack to happen. Since H1N1 influenza and other upper airway infections increase the risk of developing narcolepsy type 1, we hypothesise that the hypothalamic response to a peripheral infection initiates processes causing the HCRT neurons to become more vulnerable.