Cataplexy

Broader Terms

central nervous system disorder

Related Terms

narcolepsy

Scope Note

transient attack of weakness precipitated by emotional excitement; patient falls as if struck down.

Facts (generated by robot; please edit if you find it inaccurate)

• Significant reduction in cataplexy is realized from the start, with effectiveness increasing over the first six months.
• Cataplexy is related to the muscle "paralysis" of REM.
• Although narcolepsy itself is rare, affecting only about 140,000 people in the United States, cataplexy is the symptom most predictive of narcolepsy and the second most common symptom associated with narcolepsy, and it may be present in 60% to 90% of narcolepsy cases.
• Cataplexy is " a sudden weakness of the muscles of the body, especially the legs but also the face and neck, that is brought on by strong emotion, especially laughing.
• Canine cataplexy is preferentially controlled by adrenergic mechanisms: evidence using monoamine selective uptake inhibitors and release enhancers.