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A functional autoantibody in narcolepsy

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dc.contributor.authorSmith, A.
dc.contributor.authorJackson, M.
dc.contributor.authorNeufing, P.
dc.contributor.authorMcEvoy, R.
dc.contributor.authorGordon, T.
dc.date.issued2004
dc.description.abstractNarcolepsy is widely believed to have an autoimmune basis, but conventional immunological approaches have failed to detect a serum autoantibody marker. Since cholinergic hyperactivity is a feature of narcolepsy-cataplexy, we transferred IgG from nine patients with narcolepsy and nine healthy controls to mice and assessed the effect on smooth muscle contractile responses to cholinergic stimulation. IgG from all narcolepsy patients significantly enhanced bladder contractile responses to the muscarinic agonist carbachol and to neuronally released acetylcholine compared with control IgG (p<0.0001), whereas contraction of the sympathetically innervated vas deferens was unaltered. Our findings provide direct evidence for the autoimmune hypothesis of narcolepsy.
dc.identifier.citationThe Lancet, 2004; 364(9451):2122-2124
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17553-3
dc.identifier.issn0140-6736
dc.identifier.issn1474-547X
dc.identifier.orcidMcEvoy, R. [0000-0002-5759-0094]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/3102
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherLancet Ltd
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(04)17553-3
dc.subjectMuscle, Smooth
dc.subjectParasympathetic Nervous System
dc.subjectAnimals
dc.subjectMice, Inbred BALB C
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectMice
dc.subjectNarcolepsy
dc.subjectCarbachol
dc.subjectImmunoglobulin G
dc.subjectMembrane Glycoproteins
dc.subjectCholinergic Agonists
dc.subjectAutoantibodies
dc.subjectHLA-DQ Antigens
dc.subjectSynaptic Transmission
dc.subjectMuscle Contraction
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectAged
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectHLA-DQ beta-Chains
dc.subjectIn Vitro Techniques
dc.titleA functional autoantibody in narcolepsy
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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