Hypersomnia in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Hypersomnolence or narcolepsy may be the initial finding in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD); therefore, it is important in clinical evaluation. Aquaporin 4 (AQP4) is densely located in the periventricular zone of the hypothalamus, where hypocretin is concentrated. Therefore, anti-AQP4 antibodies in NMOSD may cause damage to this zone, resulting in decreased hypocretin and hypersomnia or narcolepsy. In our study, 10 NMOSD patients diagnosed with clinical, radiological, and laboratory findings were compared with 22 multiple sclerosis patients selected as the control group and 22 healthy individuals. The Epworth sleepiness scale and the Stanford sleepiness scale were used to assess excessive daytime sleepiness. Our study supports the fact that hypersomnolence is higher in the NMOSD group, independent of other factors that may cause the tendency to sleep.

Keywords

• hypersomnolence
• nmosd
• narcolepsy
• eds