These same low levels have been associated with primary hypersomnia in general in mouse studies. “Mice with systemic carnitine deficiency exhibit a higher frequency of fragmented wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and reduced locomotor activity.” Administration of acetyl-L-carnitine was shown to improve these symptoms in mice. A subsequent human trial found that people with narcolepsy given L-carnitine spent less total time in daytime sleep than people who were given a placebo. Animal models
Animal studies try to mimic the disorder in humans by either modifying the Hypocretin/Orexin receptors or by eliminating this peptide. An orexin deficit caused by the degeneration of hypothalamic neurons is suggested to be one of the causes of narcolepsy. More recent clinical studies on both animals and humans have also revealed that hypocretin is involved in other functions beside regulation of wakefulness and sleep. These functions include autonomic regulation, emotional processing, reward learning behaviour or energy homeostasis. In studies where the concentration of the hypocretin was measured under different circumstances, it was observed that the hypocretin levels increased with the positive emotion, anger or social interaction but stayed low during sleep or during pain experience.The most reliable and valid animal models developed are the canine (narcoleptic dogs) and the rodent (orexin-deficient mice) ones which helped investigating the narcolepsy and set the focus on the role of orexin in this disorder. Dog models
Dogs, as well as other species like cats or horses, can also exhibit spontaneous narcolepsy with similar symptoms as the ones reported in humans.
However, the technology exists in early form such as experiments in using the prepro-orexin transgene via gene editing restored normal function in mice models by making other neurons produce orexin after the original set have been destroyed, or replacing the missing orexinergic neurons with hypocretin stem cell transplantation, are both steps in that direction for fixing the biology effectively permanently once applied in humans. Additionally effective ideal non-gene editing and chemical-drug methods involve hypocretin treatments methods such as future drugs like hypocretin agonists (such as danavorexton) or hypocretin replacement, in the form of hypocretin 1 given intravenous (injected into the veins), intracisternal (direct injection into the brain), and intranasal (sprayed through the nose), the latter being low in efficacy, at the low amount used in current experiments but may be effective at very high doses in the future. Behavioral
General strategies like people and family education, sleep hygiene and medication compliance, and discussion of safety issues for example driving license can be useful. Potential side effects of medication can also be addressed. Regular follow-up is useful to be able to monitor the response to treatment, to assess the presence of other sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea, and to discuss psychosocial issues.In many cases, planned regular short naps can reduce the need for pharmacological treatment of the EDS, but only improve symptoms for a short duration. A 120-minute nap provided benefit for 3 hours in the persons alertness whereas a 15-minute nap provided no benefit. Daytime naps are not a replacement for night time sleep.