An important research report, published in 2004 in The Lancet, provided the first concrete evidence that autoimmunity may play a role in narcolepsy. The study’s research team seem to have identified an autoantibody associated with narcolepsy. The researchers injected mice with antibodies taken from patients with narcolepsy. All patients carried the (HLA)DQB1-0602 genotype. Mice were also injected with antibodies from healthy patients. Only the antibodies from patients with narcolepsy produced narcolepsy-type neuromuscular responses.
The results suggested that the antibodies triggered an autoimmune response that affected the hypocretin system. Scientists hope that this autoantibody may prove to be a diagnostic biomarker and that a blood test can eventually be developed to accurately diagnose narcolepsy. In addition to new diagnostic tests, this research may pave the way for immunomodulatory drugs that could prevent hypocretin depletion. However, other research has yet to conclusively establish a link between narcolepsy and autoimmunity.
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