3 research outputs found
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Narcolepsy: A Possible Connection That Deserves to Be Investigated.
Narcolepsy in childhood-adolescence is characterized by a high occurrence of
psychiatric comorbidities. The most frequent psychiatric disorders reported in
these patients are attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety
disorder, and schizophrenia. However, narcolepsy can be associated also with
introversion, sorrowfulness, feelings of inferiority, impaired affectivity
modulation, emotional lability, irritability, aggressiveness, and poor attention,
that have been pooled by some authors under a definition of "narcoleptic
personality." Some aspects of this "narcoleptic personality," and in particular
introversion, impaired affectivity modulation, irritability, and poor attention,
partially overlap with the clinical features of the individuals with autism
spectrum disorder, considering also those that are not regarded as core autism
symptoms. Till now, in literature the number of cases affected by both narcolepsy
and autism spectrum disorder (seven patients) has been clearly too small to
demonstrate the presence of a pathogenetic link between these two conditions, but
this possible connection has not yet been adequately investigated, despite the
presence of several points in common. The finding of a connection between
narcolepsy and autism spectrum disorder could boost the study of possible
etiopathogenetic mechanisms shared between these two apparently so distant
disorders. Basing on the literature data summarized in this paper, in the
diagnostic work-up of a child with narcolepsy it is essential to evaluate also
the social-communicative behavior using standardized tools in order to detect the
real recurrence of clinical features suggesting an autism spectrum disorder. At
the same time, it appears necessary to screen in the individuals with autism
spectrum disorder for the possible presence of evoking symptoms of narcolepsy
Autism Spectrum Disorder and Narcolepsy: A Possible Connection That Deserves to Be Investigated
Narcolepsy in childhood-adolescence is characterized by a high occurrence of
psychiatric comorbidities. The most frequent psychiatric disorders reported in
these patients are attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety
disorder, and schizophrenia. However, narcolepsy can be associated also with
introversion, sorrowfulness, feelings of inferiority, impaired affectivity
modulation, emotional lability, irritability, aggressiveness, and poor attention,
that have been pooled by some authors under a definition of "narcoleptic
personality." Some aspects of this "narcoleptic personality," and in particular
introversion, impaired affectivity modulation, irritability, and poor attention,
partially overlap with the clinical features of the individuals with autism
spectrum disorder, considering also those that are not regarded as core autism
symptoms. Till now, in literature the number of cases affected by both narcolepsy
and autism spectrum disorder (seven patients) has been clearly too small to
demonstrate the presence of a pathogenetic link between these two conditions, but
this possible connection has not yet been adequately investigated, despite the
presence of several points in common. The finding of a connection between
narcolepsy and autism spectrum disorder could boost the study of possible
etiopathogenetic mechanisms shared between these two apparently so distant
disorders. Basing on the literature data summarized in this paper, in the
diagnostic work-up of a child with narcolepsy it is essential to evaluate also
the social-communicative behavior using standardized tools in order to detect the
real recurrence of clinical features suggesting an autism spectrum disorder. At
the same time, it appears necessary to screen in the individuals with autism
spectrum disorder for the possible presence of evoking symptoms of narcolepsy
Case Report: Burden of Illness in Narcolepsy Type 1: Hikikomori in a Teenage Girl
Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) deeply impacts on quality of life, especially during adolescence, with NT1 children and adolescents that frequently report difficulties in integration with peers and decreased participation in after-school activities. Here we describe the case of NT1 teenager girl presenting with severe physical and social withdrawal, fulfilling the proposed diagnostic criteria for hikikomori, together with the classic NT1 symptoms. Social withdrawal is an overlooked phenomenon among NT1 children and adolescents that, if present, require a multidisciplinary approach and personalized interventions, but patients can benefit from NT1 pharmacological treatment