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Feb
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Narcolepsy is a condition characterized by excessive sleepiness, defects of vision and muscle weakness that could cause fainting
Japanese scientists have identified a genetic variant predisposing to narcolepsy and are present mainly in Japanese and Koreans, according to research published today by the British science journal Nature Genetics.
Narcolepsy is a condition characterized by excessive sleepiness, defects of vision and muscle weakness that could cause fainting.
It affects one in every 2,500 individuals in the U.S. and Europe, but is four times more common among the Japanese.
Now, researchers at the University of Tokyo (Japan) have identified a genetic variant that predisposes them to this condition.
After carrying out a genetic association study found that the risk variant is located between genes and CHKB CPT1B, which could play
an important role in the disorder.
The team, led by Katsushi Tokunaga, CPT1B explains that the gene encodes an enzyme involved in fatty acid oxidation and could be involved in sleep regulation.
For its part, CHKB encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the production of a component of cell membranes which is the precursor of a molecule related to the sleep-wake cycle.
The genetic variant is more prevalent in Japanese and Korean populations than in those of European or African descent.
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