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Writer's pictureRIck LeCouteur

The Science of Sleep: How the secret of narcolepsy was uncovered



This is the untold story of how curiosity, coincidence, and persistence

cracked the code of narcolepsy.

 

For over a century, narcolepsy baffled doctors and scientists alike, its cause shrouded in mystery. Then, in the late 1990s, a chance discovery in a Texas lab - glowing cells under a microscope - sparked an incredible journey. What began as an exploration of appetite control led to solving the puzzle of a debilitating sleep disorder and opened the door to a revolution in sleep medicine.

 

The Strange Untold Story of How Science Solved Narcolepsy

 

In 1996, Masashi Yanagisawa, a Japanese scientist known for his groundbreaking discovery of endothelin - a potent vasoconstrictor - stood on the brink of another revolutionary finding. At just 31, Yanagisawa had set up his lab at the University of Texas Southwestern, driven by a fascination with G-protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). These tiny cell surface receptors, responsible for responding to a variety of molecules, were a hotbed of discovery, with the recently completed Human Genome Project revealing numerous “orphan” GPCRs waiting to be matched with their activating molecules.

 

Yanagisawa and his team devised a meticulous fishing expedition, creating 50 cell lines, each expressing a unique orphan receptor, and applied animal tissue with calcium-sensitive dye. A glow under the microscope signaled a match - and soon, the team hit upon something extraordinary. They had isolated two previously unknown neuropeptides, sparking a decades-long scientific journey that would solve the century-old medical mystery of narcolepsy and potentially address one of today’s most pressing health crises: sleep disorders.

 

From Feeding to Sleep: A Misleading Start

 

At first, the Yanagisawa team believed these neuropeptides were linked to feeding behavior. Studies in rats showed that injecting the proteins into their brains triggered eating, so they named the molecules orexin-A and orexin-B, derived from the Greek word orexis (appetite). Their findings, published in Cell in February 1998, pointed to the lateral hypothalamus - a region of the brain often associated with feeding - as the peptides’ primary area of activity.

 

Meanwhile, across the country at the Scripps Research Institute, another team led by J. Gregor Sutcliffe was also working on the same peptides. They named them hypocretins, referencing their hypothalamic origin and their similarity to secretin, a gut hormone. Their January 1998 paper in PNAS described how the hypocretins extended throughout the brain, particularly into areas involved in sleep-wake control. The discovery hinted at a broader significance that neither group fully grasped at the time.

 

Serendipity, Science, and Sleep

 

The discovery of orexins and hypocretins - two names for the same neuropeptides - became a case study in simultaneous independent discovery, a common phenomenon in science. Both teams worked in isolation, unaware of the other’s progress.

 

  • Scripps’ publication beat Yanagisawa’s by weeks

  • Yanagisawa’s team first connected the peptides to narcolepsy.

 

In 1999, Yanagisawa’s lab demonstrated that mice genetically engineered to lack orexins exhibited symptoms strikingly like narcolepsy, including sudden episodes of muscle weakness (cataplexy) and abnormal sleep-wake cycles. Around the same time, studies in dogs and humans revealed that narcolepsy is often caused by the loss of orexin-producing neurons in the brain. Suddenly, the century-old mystery of narcolepsy - first described in the 19th century - had a scientific explanation rooted in basic neurobiology.

 

Beyond Narcolepsy: Orexins and the Sleep Crisis

 

The discovery of orexins did more than just explain narcolepsy; it opened a new frontier in sleep medicine. Orexin deficiency became a target for drug development, leading to the approval of medications like suvorexant (Belsomra) to treat insomnia by selectively blocking orexin receptors. These drugs help balance the sleep-wake cycle without the addictive risks of traditional sedatives.

 

But the story doesn’t end there. As sleep disorders increasingly plague modern society - linked to everything from mental health to chronic disease - the potential of orexin-based therapies continues to grow. Just this year, new research has explored their role in combating conditions such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease, where sleep disturbances play a critical role.

 

The Unsung Heroes of Basic Science

 

The journey from Yanagisawa’s fluorescent microscope to life-changing narcolepsy treatments is a testament to the power of basic science. Often dismissed in favor of applied research, curiosity-driven studies like Yanagisawa’s form the foundation of medical breakthroughs.

 

The importance of basic research can get lost, but it is the foundation

for any future application, such as drug development.

 

Yanagisawa’s serendipitous discovery exemplifies how science thrives on persistence, unpredictability, and the willingness to explore the unknown. Though the downstream applications of orexins have garnered much acclaim, the strange and untold story of their discovery is a reminder that the most transformative advances often begin with a simple, glowing cell under a microscope.

 

Rick’s Commentary

 

The discovery of orexins not only solved the enigma of narcolepsy but also

illuminated the intricate connections between

sleep, brain function, and overall health.

 

Today, as the world grapples with a sleep-deprivation crisis, Yanagisawa’s fishing expedition remains a beacon of how curiosity, collaboration, and the unpredictable nature of science can change the world - one glowing discovery at a time.

 

Background Reading


Lecea L, +13, and JG Sutcliffe. The hypocretins: Hypothalamus-specific peptides with neuroexcitatory activity. PNAS (1998) 95(1):322-327.

 

 

 

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