Brain-Cell Loss Found in Narcolepsy
By John Travis
For years, the first line in Jerome M. Siegel’s research-grant applications simply stated that the cause of narcolepsy is unknown. Time for a new opening line.
Following up on last year’s discovery of gene mutations that cause forms of narcolepsy in dogs and mice (SN: 8/14/99, p. 100: https://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc99/8_14_99/fob1.htm), Siegel and other investigators have now found that the human brand of this puzzling sleep disorder likely stems from the destruction of a small group of brain cells.