Researchers honored for breakthroughs in narcolepsy science

Researchers Emmanuel Mignot and Masashi Yanagisawa have been honored with the Albert Lasker Award for their fundamental discoveries regarding the mechanisms of narcolepsy. Their work, conducted in the 1990s, identified the role of orexin (also known as hypocretin), a neurotransmitter produced in the hypothalamus that regulates sleep.

Emmanuel Mignot, a professor at Stanford University, identified the genetic basis of narcolepsy through extensive genomic research on dogs. Simultaneously, Masashi Yanagisawa discovered that the absence of orexin in mice leads to the condition. This scientific convergence revealed that a deficiency in this neurotransmitter is the underlying cause of narcolepsy in both humans and mice.

Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by sudden, uncontrollable sleep episodes and cataplexy, which involves a temporary loss of muscle tone. While the condition affects approximately 1 in 5,000 humans, it is also observed in certain dog breeds, such as cocker spaniels, Dobermans, Labradors, and dachshunds. In animals, the condition often manifests during intense emotions or physical activity.