NARCOLEPSY: LIKE A ROLLING STONE, A DISORDER WITHOUT A NEUROBIOLOGICAL HOME…IN NEED OF ANSWERS

Edward J. Modestino*, Alireza Sharafshah, Kai -Uwe Lewandrowski, David Baron, Panayotis K. Thanos, Alexander P.L., Lewandrowski, Rajendra D. Badgaiyan, Catherine A. Dennen, Kennenth Blum*

While there are 6,935 articles listed on PubMed (as of 12-30-24), as penned by Bob Dylan, “how does it feel -to be on your own- with no direction home -like a complete unknown- like a rolling stone” (narcolepsy struggling for more answers), those struggling need novel genetic and epigenetic answers.
A study by Modestino and Winchester[1] revealed a significant link between childhood ADHD symptoms and subsequent development of narcolepsy, suggesting that a subtype of ADHD may be an early stage of a progressive neurological condition that eventually manifests as hypersomnia or narcolepsy. Supporting this hypothesis, earlier studies[2] observed the same hypovigilance and pupilographic instabilities in individuals with ADHD and narcolepsy, while Weinberg and Harper[3] identified a new syndrome combining both, coining the term "Primary Disorder of Vigilance." Sultan et al.[4] introduced "Syndrome Z," encompassing ADHD, narcolepsy, and other related symptoms, highlighting a potential narcolepsy spectrum. Ohayon further demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of childhood ADHD among narcoleptics compared to controls.