Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Cataplexy

Cataplexy is a sudden, brief loss of muscle tone triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, surprise, or anger, during which the person remains fully conscious. Episodes can range from mild weakness, such as a drooping of the face or buckling of the knees, to a complete collapse of voluntary muscles lasting from…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 2 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 10× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2574-4518 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Cataplexy is a sudden, brief loss of muscle tone triggered by strong emotions such as laughter, surprise, or anger, during which the person remains fully conscious. Episodes can range from mild weakness, such as a drooping of the face or buckling of the knees, to a complete collapse of voluntary muscles lasting from seconds to a couple of minutes. Cataplexy is a hallmark feature of narcolepsy type 1, a chronic neurological sleep disorder, and it is closely linked to the loss of hypothalamic neurons that produce the wake-promoting neuropeptide hypocretin (orexin). Because emotions provoke the attacks and consciousness is preserved, cataplexy is distinguished from seizures and fainting, though it can be misdiagnosed. Recognizing cataplexy is important for the timely diagnosis of narcolepsy, and management typically combines lifestyle measures with medications that reduce attacks and address associated excessive daytime sleepiness. Research relevant to this journal addresses these topics directly, including a systematic review of narcolepsy with or without cataplexy in the pediatric population, which examines how the condition presents in children, and a report exploring a possible relationship between Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and narcolepsy. This page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access research relevant to cataplexy, narcolepsy, and sleep disorders.

Research published in this journal

2 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 2 articles above have been cited 10 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Cataplexy, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Sleep And Sleep Disorder Research (ISSN 2574-4518).

Journal editorial board
Dragos Octavian Palade · Romania Mauro Manconi · Switzerland Karim Sedky · United States

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.