Narcolepsy DNA Test

Are you excessively or overwhelmingly sleepy during the day, even after having had a full night’s sleep?

Do you fall asleep when you do not intend to, such as in the middle of working, talking, or driving?

Have you ever collapse suddenly or had your neck muscles feel too weak to hold up your head when you experience emotion such as surprise or anger?

Do you find yourself briefly unable to talk or move while falling asleep or waking up?

Has a family member been diagnosed with narcolepsy and you are concerned about your risk?

Do you wake often during the night?

Do you have REM sleep abnormalities?

Do you have abnormal Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and/or polysomnography test results?

Do you have cataplexy?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, Narcolepsy DNA testing is recommended.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that impairs the ability of the central nervous system to regulate sleep. Narcolepsy is the most common disorder causing excessive daytime sleepiness affecting about 1 in 200 to 1 in 500 people in the United States. Most people experience their first symptoms between the ages of 15 and 30.

Generally, the central nervous system carries messages from the brain to different parts of the body. For people with narcolepsy, the messages about when to be asleep or awake are misguided and don’t make it to their proper destination, thereby impairing the individual's ability to stay awake.

Narcolepsy Symptoms

• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of sleep
• Sudden loss of muscle control (cataplexy)
• Hypnagogic hallucinations – vivid, frightening dreams experienced while falling asleep or waking. About 25-50% of narcolepsy sufferers experience them.
• Sleep paralysis – paralysis experienced while falling asleep or waking. About 25-50% of narcolepsy sufferers experience sleep paralysis.
• Automatic behavior – when a person continues to function (talking, putting things away, etc.) during sleep episodes, but awakens with no memory of performing such activities. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of people with narcolepsy experience automatic behavior during sleep episodes.

The Testing Process

The process is simple. We send you a cheek swab collection kit in the mail. Samples are returned to our laboratory and results are typically available in 5-7 business days.

1. Hong SC et al. (2000). Clinical and polysomnographic features in DQB1*0602 positive and negative narcolepsy patients: results from the modafinil clinical trial. Sleep Med 1:33-39.
2. Lin L. et al. (2001). Narcolepsy and the HLA region. J of Neuroimmunol 117:9-20.
3. Nishino SE et al. (2001) Low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin (orexin) and altered energy homeostasis in human narcolepsy. Ann Neurol 50:381-388.
4. Thorpy M. et al. (2001). Current concepts in etiology, diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy. Sleep Med 2:5-17.