1. Narcolepsy in orexin knockout mice: molecular genetics of sleep regulation
- Author
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Chemelli, Richard M., Willie, Jon T., Sinton, Christopher M., Elmquist, Joel K., Scammell, Thomas, Lee, Charlotte, Richardson, James A., Williams, S. Clay, Yumei Xiong, Kisanuki, Yaz, Fitch, Thomas E., Nakazato, Masamitsu, Hammer, Robert E., Saper, Clifford B., and Yanagisawa, Masashi
- Subjects
Mice -- Genetic aspects ,Narcolepsy -- Genetic aspects ,Sleep disorders -- Genetic aspects ,Biological sciences - Abstract
A study of orexin knockout mice reveals a phenotype that has a striking resemblance to humans suffering from narcolepsy. They also exhibit similarities with canarc-1 mutant dogs, narcolepsy's only known monogenic model. The findings, which also include the activation of orexin-containing neuron with the use of modafinil, provide evidence of orexin's function in the regulation of the state of wakefulness and sleep and provides a useful model for human narcolepsy.
- Published
- 1999