Don’t Mess With My Sleep: Makenna’s Walk for Narcolepsy Research

At age five, Makenna was a healthy bright child in Kindergarten, with a great sense of humor and a charming magnetic personality. Under the Weather:In February 2011, Makenna came down with pneumonia. She was very sick and admitted to the Children’s Hospital for IV Antibiotics. She recovered from the infection, but never got her strength…

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Influenza A (including H1N1 infection) May Trigger Narcolepsy

What causes narcolepsy? I wasn’t born with narcolepsy but developed it in my late teens to early 20’s. Evidence continues to suggest that influenza A (including H1N1) and other winter airway infections play a significant role in narcolepsy onset. However, the role of H1N1 vaccination is a different story, suggests a recent study led by…

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Insomnia Drug Develops from Narcolepsy Research

What do people with insomnia and people with narcolepsy have in common? Trick question! I don’t know, but we may be coming closer to an answer. In the late 90’s, narcolepsy researchers made a significant breakthrough in successfully identifying the brain cells, called hypocretin (or orexin), that go missing in those that develop narcolepsy.  These…

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A Science Project Worth Running For

With just less than a week to go before the big day, I’m proud to report that I’ve exceeded my fundraising goal of raising $5,000 towards narcolepsy research! Thank you so much your generous contributions. I’d like to share some exciting news about the important research that will be supported with this money. Well, there’s…

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