Emmanuel Mignot, M.D., Ph.D., noted Sleep Disorders Community physician and Stanford University scientist, appeared in a news feature today about Kleine-Levin Syndrome (KLS), as reported by Health Reporter Lisa Malak of CBS sister station WFRV in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), KLS is a rare disorder that causes recurring periods of excessive drowsiness and hypersomnolence where sufferers can sleep up to 20 hours per day. Symptoms, which may last for days to weeks, include excessive food intake, irritability, disorientation, lack of energy, and hypersensitivity to noise. Some patients may also experience hallucinations and an abnormally uninhibited sex drive. Affected persons are normal between episodes, although depression and amnesia may be noted temporarily after an attack. It may be weeks or more before symptoms reappear. Onset is typically around adolescence to the late teens. The disorder is 4 times more common in males than in females. Although the typical onset of KLS occurs early in life and usually disappears with advancing age, episodes may recur later during life. Symptoms may be related to malfunction of the hypothalamus, the part of the brain that governs appetite and sleep. Synonyms for KLS include Familial Hibernation Syndrome and Periodic Somnolence and Morbid Hunger.
Dr. Mignot is a Stanford University Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Center for Narcolepsy, is internationally recognized as having discovered the cause of narcolepsy. He is also known for his discovery of a polymorphism of the "clock" gene that appears to alter individuals' internal biorhythms and for the finding of a gene variant that predisposes to sleep apnea.
You can read more about KLS here (click) and watch the video that includes Dr. Mignot here (click)
