Active clinical trials for "Cataplexy"

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterised by excessive daytime sleepiness and significantly impacts quality of life. People with narcolepsy demonstrate many potential barriers to being physically active, such as sleepiness and social isolation. Very little is known about how physical performance variables may be affected and influence disease experience in people with narcolepsy. This study aims to profile the physical fitness and physical functioning variables of adults with narcolepsy and to explore the relationship between physical variables, quality of life, symptom severity and disease experience in this cohort.

Up to 50% of Narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC) patients suffer from REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a parasomnia. A strong link was found between RBD and impulse control disorders (ICD) in Parkinson disease (PD) patients. ICD are thought to be related to a dysfunction of meso-cortico-limbic pathways which belong to the so called ''reward system''. A recent study in IRMf shows that RBD is associated with impaired reward system. A strong link was found between these two disorders and therefore we believe that RBD is associated with impaired reward system in NC The main objective of this study is to evaluate differences in brain activation between NC patients with and without RBD. The investigators hypothesize that NC patients with RBD have a more severe dysfunction of the reward system (hypoactivation of the meso-cortico-limbic pathway) than patients without RBD.

Autonomic nervous system dysfunction has been described in narcolepsy with cataplexy affecting the sympathetic function. In this study the investigators analyzed whether altered diurnal and nocturnal cardiovascular control is present in idiopathic hypersomnia. Drug-free patients diagnosed with idiopathic hypersomnia and age-matched controls were included. Clinical data, 24-h polysomnography, heart rate variability and the heart rate response to spontaneous arousal are analyzed.

This EAP will be open to provide access to treatment with pitolisant while a U.S. New Drug Application (NDA) is being prepared and submitted for review for marketing approval. This program will be open to adult patients in the U.S. with Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) associated with narcolepsy, with or without cataplexy. Pitolisant will be made available through treating physicians participating in the program.