Narcolepsy Linked to Immune System Attacks, Study Says

The findings of a new study on narcolepsy point to immune system attacks gone haywire as a cause. Experts say that the conclusions, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, might eventually result in a new test for this hard-to-diagnose disorder, according to U.S. News & World Report Health. Senior author Dr. Elizabeth Mellins, a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine, indicates that while scientists suspected that narcolepsy might be an autoimmune disease, they were unable to prove it before the study pointed to strong evidence of a connection. Narcolepsy is a chronic disorder associated with irregular cycles of sleeping and waking, says the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.