By Amanda B
Scientists in Japan have identified a genetic mutation that is linked to the disease narcolepsy, a disease that can leave people falling asleep while talking or behind the wheel as well has have temporary loss of muscle control and extreme hallucinations. The disease, which is incurable, is most prevalent in Japanese people, but one in every 2,500 Americans has it.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have compared genetic profiles of people with and without the disease and have discovered that people of four different ethnic groups with the disease were more likely to carry a mutation of DNA located between two genes that deal with sleep regulation and sleep-wake cycle. Although the link was strong with Japanese, many Europeans and Africans were also highly linked with the mutation. The author of the study suggested that these new findings will cause “new therapeutic approaches” to be designed for narcolepsy patients to target the neuro-chemical reactions of the genetic material. After reading this article, I was astonished that Yahoo! News published the article because the study did not seem to have any validity to it. There weren’t any statistics on the amount of people that they compared profiles with, so it was hard to believe that this mutation of DNA really was connected to narcolepsy patients. What caught my eye though, was that I never even heard of the disorder, and I’m sure many people do not realize the extent of how dangerous the disease it. These people can be a threat on the road if they are driving and fall asleep, causing car accidents. Because of this, I believe it’s a benefit to society to determine the cause of narcolepsy, and the researchers at the University of Tokyo are being smart about trying to find a cause and hopefully a cure to the disease now.
Source:
“Scientists pinpoint genetic driver of narcolepsy.” Yahoo! News. 28 Sept. 2008. 30 Sept. 2008 <http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080928/ts_afp/healthdiseasesleepnarcolepsy;_ylt=akox.or30iz5tuucsbesswyplbif
