Is narcolepsy an autoimmune condition?

General
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Check out these recent articles that say narcolepsy is, indeed, an autoimmune condition.

Narcolepsy May Be An Autoimmune Condition (RTT News) - Narcolepsy, a condition in which patients uncontrollably fall asleep, has been proven an autoimmune condition, according to a researcher team at Stanford.

Flu Vaccine Helps Unravel Complex Causes of Narcolepsy (Fars News Agency) - Narcolepsy develops when the immune system destroys 70,000 neurons in a brain region called the hypothalamus that produce hypocretin.

GSK's flu vaccine has "the fingerprints of an immune attack" (Examiner.com) - Developed by GlaxoSmithKline and patented in September 2006, health reports in 2010 linked the vaccine to narcolepsy in some patients.

5 most incredible discoveries of the week (USA TODAY) - Narcolepsy breakthrough: It's autoimmune: A group of researchers has finally found evidence to confirm what many have long suspected.

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Armando -- thank you for always sharing such informative materials in your posts!!! Did you see my post on the function of glial cells in the brain during sleep. Very interesting research. Thanks again!

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If you find these helpful you may be interested in listening to this interview, http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/videos/dr-emmanuel-mignot-talks-about-advances-in-narcolepsy-research-and-care.html

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Just watched the video. Very exciting research being done by Dr. Mignot on possible PREVENTION of narcolepsy by developing a vaccine. This is very important research for the children of narcoleptics. His statement on how someone develops narcolepsy due to an infection that confuses the autoimmune system into thinking that orexin/hypocretin are potential viruses and, consequently, then destroys these chemicals is a spectacular discovery. Thank you for sharing.