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Biomedical subjects

Emmanuel Mignot

Publications and source records attributed to Emmanuel Mignot.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Safety, tolerability, and efficacy of alixorexton, a selective orexin 2 receptor agonist for narcolepsy type 1 (Vibrance-1): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: The clinical potential of orexin 2 receptor (OX2R) agonism for improving measures of wakefulness and cataplexy in patients with narcolepsy type 1 has been described in a phase 2 study. Here, we aimed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of alixorexton, another oral OX2R agonist, in narcolepsy type 1. METHODS: In this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial, adult participants (aged 18-70 years) with narcolepsy type 1 were recruited from 46 hospitals and private research centres across the USA, Europe, and Australia. Participants were centrally randomly assigned (1:1:1:1) in blocks of four via an interactive response technology system stratified by region and baseline weekly cataplexy rate (WCR) to receive 4 mg, 6 mg, or 8 mg tablets of alixorexton or placebo once daily for 6 weeks, followed by an optional 7-week open-label extension. Participants had narcolepsy type 1, diagnosed per the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Third Edition, and confirmed by overnight polysomnography and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test or cerebrospinal hypocretin-1 concentrations. The sponsor, assessors, investigators, and participants were masked during the randomised double-blind treatment period. Efficacy and safety assessments were conducted in participants who received at least one dose of study drug. The primary endpoint was change from baseline to week 6 in mean sleep latency (MSL) on the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT). Safety endpoints included treatment-emergent adverse events. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06358950) and is completed. FINDINGS: Between May 24, 2024, and May 5, 2025, 153 individuals were screened and 92 participants were randomly assigned to receive alixorexton 4 mg (n=23), 6 mg (n=22), 8 mg (n=24), or placebo (n=23). Mean age was 33&#xb7;5 years (SD 12&#xb7;1), 57 (62%) were women, and 35 (38%) were men. At week 6, the observed MSL on the MWT was 2&#xb7;3 min (SD 2&#xb7;7) for placebo, 24&#xb7;0 min (8&#xb7;7) for alixorexton 4 mg, 25&#xb7;9 min (9&#xb7;4) for 6 mg, and 28&#xb7;2 min (11&#xb7;4) for 8 mg. Alixorexton improved MSL on the MWT, with a least-squares mean placebo-corrected change from baseline of 22&#xb7;2 min (95% CI 17&#xb7;2-27&#xb7;2) for alixorexton 4 mg, 24&#xb7;1 min (19&#xb7;0-29&#xb7;1) for 6 mg, and 26&#xb7;0 min (21&#xb7;0-31&#xb7;0) for 8 mg (adjusted p=0&#xb7;0099 for 4 mg, adjusted p<0&#xb7;0001 for 6 mg and 8 mg). Treatment-emergent adverse events occurring in at least 5% of participants given alixorexton and more frequently than those given placebo up to week 6 were pollakiuria (38 [55%]), insomnia (19 [28%]), salivary hypersecretion (17 [25%]), micturition urgency (ten [14%]), blurred vision (ten [14%]), and hyperhidrosis (five [7%]). INTERPRETATION: In this phase 2 trial, once-daily oral alixorexton provided clinically meaningful improvements at 6 weeks for participants with narcolepsy type 1, including in wakefulness, excessive daytime sleepiness, and cataplexy. The treatment was generally well tolerated, with adverse events consistent with the known on-target effects of OX2R agonists. Together, these findings support the further phase 3 evaluation of alixorexton as a potential therapeutic option for people with narcolepsy type 1. FUNDING: Alkermes.

Humans↗

A circadian sleep disorder reveals a complex clock.

Circadian rhythms are established by transcription of clock genes and autoregulatory transcriptional feedback loops. In this issue, Xu et al. (2007) characterize mice expressing a human Per2 mutation identified in patients with familial advanced sleep phase syndrome. Their results reveal that PER2 phosphorylation, by CK1delta and other kinases, is surprisingly complex and has opposite effects on PER2 levels and period length.

Animals↗

DQB1*0301 and DQB1*0601 modulate narcolepsy susceptibility in Koreans.

The association of narcolepsy with HLA-DQB1*0602 is established in Japanese, African-Americans, European, and North American Caucasians. We examined DRB1, DRB3, DRB4, DRB5, DQA1, and DQB1 in 163 patients with centrally mediated daytime sleepiness (100 with narcolepsy) and 211 Korean controls. In this population, the DQB1*0602 association was always evident in the context of the DRB1*1501-DQA1*0102-DQB1*0602 haplotype. The DQB1*0602 association was highest in cases with hypocretin deficiency (100% vs 13% in controls), most of which had narcolepsy-cataplexy (81%). A weaker DQB1*0602 (45%) association was present in cases without cataplexy. No human leukocyte antigen (HLA) association was present in idiopathic hypersomnia or in cases with normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin-1. As in other populations, DQB1*0602 homozygosity increased risk in cases with cataplexy and/or hypocretin deficiency (odds ratio = 2.0 vs heterozygotes). Non-DQB1*0602 allelic effects were also observed but could not be interpreted in the context of DQB1*0602 overabundance and linkage disequilibrium. We therefore next analyzed compound heterozygote effects in 77 subjects with either hypocretin deficiency or cataplexy and one copy of DRB1*1501-DQA1*0102-DQB1*0602, a sample constructed to maximize etiologic homogeneity. In this analysis, we found additional predisposing effects of DQB1*0301 and protective effects for DQA1*0103-DQB1*0601. Unexpectedly, the predisposing effects of DQB1*0301 were present in the context of various DQA1-bearing haplotypes. A predisposing effect of DQA1*0303 was also suggested. These results indicate a remarkable consistency in the complex HLA association present in narcolepsy across multiple ethnic groups.

Genetic Predisposition to Disease↗

Regulation of hypocretin (orexin) expression in embryonic zebrafish.

Hypocretins/orexins are neuropeptides involved in the regulation of sleep and energy balance in mammals. Conservation of gene sequence, hypothalamic localization of cell bodies, and projection patterns in adult zebrafish suggest that the architecture and function of the hypocretin system are conserved in fish. We report on the complete genomic structure of the zebrafish and Tetraodon hypocretin genes and the complete predicted hypocretin protein sequences from five teleosts. Using whole mount in situ hybridization, we have traced the development of hypocretin cells in zebrafish from onset of expression at 22 h post-fertilization through the first week of development. Promoter elements of similar size from zebrafish and Tetraodon were capable of driving efficient and specific expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein in developing zebrafish embryos, thus defining a minimal promoter region able to accurately mimic the native hypocretin pattern. This enhanced green fluorescent protein expression also revealed a complex pattern of projections within the hypothalamus, to the midbrain, and to the spinal cord. To further analyze the promoter, a series of deletion and substitution constructs were injected into embryos, and resulting promoter activity was monitored in the first week of development. A critical region of 250 base pairs was identified containing a core 13-base pair element essential for hypocretin expression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Correlates of sleep-onset REM periods during the Multiple Sleep Latency Test in community adults.

The diagnosis of narcolepsy without documented cataplexy is based on the observation of two or more sleep-onset REM periods (SOREMPs) during the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). We report on the prevalence and correlates of SOREMPs in the community-based Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study. MSLTs were conducted following nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and daily sleep diaries in 289 males and 267 females (age 35-70, 97% Caucasians). Multiple SOREMPs were observed in 13.1% of males and 5.6% of females. An MSLT mean sleep latency < or =8 min and > or =2 SOREMPs (diagnostic of narcolepsy) was observed in 5.9% (males) and 1.1% (females), all without cataplexy. Because of significant sex interactions, analyses were stratified by sex. Increased prevalence of HLA-DQB1*0602, a marker of narcolepsy, was observed in males but not in females with > or =2 SOREMPs. Males with multiple SOREMPs compared with those with no SOREMPs had shorter rapid eye movement (REM) latency during NPSG, were sleepier on the MSLT and reported increased sleepiness, hypnagogic hallucinations and cataplexy-like symptoms, suggesting a narcolepsy-like phenotype. In males only, the occurrence of SOREMPs increased with shift work and some indirect markers of sleep restriction, such as shorter sleep a day before NPSG. SOREMPs were unrelated to age, body mass index, depression (Zung Scale), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Scale) and the number of apnea and hypopnea events per hour of sleep (AHI), but were associated with decreased mean lowest oxygen saturation in males. Finally, we found that both males and females with SOREMPs reported taking more antidepressants, but those were of the types known not to suppress REM sleep. These results suggest a high prevalence of narcolepsy without cataplexy, as defined by the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, and/or a large number of false-positives for the MSLT.

Adult↗

Apolipoprotein E and obstructive sleep apnea: evaluating whether a candidate gene explains a linkage peak.

Evidence from both linkage analyses and association-based analyses has implicated Apoliprotein E (ApoE) as a disease susceptibility locus for obstructive sleep apnea. To further assess the putative role of ApoE in sleep apnea, we performed genotyping, association, and linkage analyses in a cohort assembled to investigate the genetic epidemiology of sleep apnea. Among a subset of the Caucasian families, ten microsatellites, spanning 20 cM, were genotyped in a region near ApoE on chromosome 19 where previous suggestive linkage had been demonstrated using a 9.1-cM genome-wide scan. Haseman-Elston regression analysis, conducted with these fine mapping markers (n=196 sibling pairs, 56 families), showed evidence for linkage to marker AFM210yg9 (p=0.00034), which was increased over that observed with the original scan. ApoE genotyping also was performed on a larger set of data (n=1,211 from 271 families, ages 3-85 years) from the cohort with available DNA. To determine whether the ApoE genotype explains the linkage peak, we included the ApoE genotype as a covariate in regression models. Inclusion of ApoE E2 allele as a covariate reduced the regression coefficient by 18%, suggesting that ApoE does not substantively explain the linkage signal. Finally, we repeated an association-based analysis in the larger sample of 1,211 individuals, and observed a higher prevalence of sleep apnea among individuals with the ApoE E2 allele. Overall, the evidence suggests that there is a disease susceptibility locus for obstructive sleep apnea in the region of ApoE, but ApoE itself is unlikely to be the causative locus.

Adolescent↗

The neurobiology of hypocretins (orexins), narcolepsy and related therapeutic interventions.

Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy and other manifestations of dissociated rapid eye movement sleep. Narcolepsy is typically treated with amphetamine-like stimulants (sleepiness) and antidepressants (cataplexy). Newer compounds, such as modafinil (non-amphetamine wake-promoting compound for excessive daytime sleepiness) and sodium oxybate (short-acting sedative for fragmented nighttime sleep, cataplexy, excessive daytime sleepiness), are increasingly used. Recent discoveries indicate that the major pathophysiology of human narcolepsy is the loss of lateral hypothalamic neurons that produce the neuropeptide hypocretin (orexin). Approximately 90% of people diagnosed as having narcolepsy with cataplexy are hypocretin ligand deficient. This has led to the development of new diagnostic tests (cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 measurements). Hypocretin receptor agonists are likely to be ideal therapeutic options for hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy but such compounds are still not available in humans.

Animals↗

A study of the diagnostic utility of HLA typing, CSF hypocretin-1 measurements, and MSLT testing for the diagnosis of narcolepsy in 163 Korean patients with unexplained excessive daytime sleepiness.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To study DQB1*0602 status and hypocretin-1 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in a cohort of patients with hypersomnolence and to test International Classification of Sleep Disorders-2 (ICSD-2) criteria for hypersomnia of central origin. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PATIENTS AND SETTING: One hundred sixty-three consecutive patients with unexplained sleepiness and 282 controls recruited at St. Vincent's Hospital, Korea. The gold standard for diagnosis was ICSD-2 criteria. Patients and controls completed the Stanford Sleep Inventory, and agreed to HLA typing. Polysomnography (87%), Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) (96%), and CSF hypocretin-1 measurements (53%) were conducted in patients. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Most patients (80%) could be classified using the ICSD-2. The 33 patients who could not be classified were without cataplexy (4 with low CSF hypocretin-1). These could not be included because of sleep apnea (apnea-hypopnea index > or = 5/h, 84%) and/or because sleep prior to MSLT was less than 6 hours (27%). Narcolepsy with cataplexy cases were 92% HLA positive with low hypocretin-1. Cataplexy at interview was predicted by validated Stanford Sleep Inventory questions regarding cataplexy triggers. In contrast, cataplexy-like events were frequently reported in all groups, including controls. Cases with narcolepsy without cataplexy were frequently men (73%) and heterogeneous biologically (36% HLA positive, 40% with low CSF hypocretin-1). None of the controls had low CSF hypocretin-1, whereas 13% were HLA positive. CONCLUSION: The ICSD-2 was easily applicable in cases with typical cataplexy. In these cases, the MSLT and further evaluations were almost always positive and may thus not always be needed. Many patients without cataplexy were difficult to classify because of difficulties in interpreting the MSLT in the presence of sleep apnea or reduced sleep.

Adult↗

CSF versus serum leptin in narcolepsy: is there an effect of hypocretin deficiency?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine if hypocretin deficiency is associated with abnormally low serum leptin levels, a putative cause of increased body mass index in narcoleptics. DESIGN: Cross-sectional controlled study. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred seventy subjects, including 111 healthy controls, 93 narcoleptic subjects with hypocretin deficiency (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] hypocretin-1 levels < 110 pg/mL), 72 narcoleptic subjects with normal hypocretin levels, and 89 subjects with other sleep disorders INTERVENTION: After completing the Stanford Sleepiness Inventory, participants underwent spinal taps and blood sampling for measurement of CSF leptin and hypocretin-1 levels, HLA DQB1*0602 phenotyping, and serum leptin and C-reactive protein levels. RESULTS: Serum leptin levels were similar in narcoleptic subjects, whether hypocretin-deficient (13.2 +/- 1.7 ng/mL, mean +/- SEM) or not (13.0 +/- 1.8 ng/mL), controls (10.1 +/- 1.1 ng/mL) and subjects with other sleep disorders (11.5 +/- 1.6 ng/mL). Similarly, the CSF leptin levels and the CSF: serum leptin ratios (an indicator of brain leptin uptake) were not different between groups. Serum and CSF leptin levels were higher in women and in subjects with higher body mass indexes. Leptin brain uptake decreased in women, in the aged, and in more-obese subjects. In contrast with a presumed inhibitory effect of leptin on hypocretin-containing cells, CSF leptin levels tended to correlate positively with CSF hypocretin-1 levels. C-reactive protein was higher (4.2 +/- 0.9 mg/L) in narcoleptic subjects with hypocretin deficiency than in controls (1.4 +/- 0.3 mg/L, p = .0055), a difference still significant after adjustment on confounding factors. DISCUSSION: Our data do not support a role for leptin in mediating increased body mass index in narcolepsy. A moderate but selective increase in C-reactive protein in hypocretin-1 deficient subjects should prompt research on inflammation in narcolepsy.

Adult↗

Hypersomnolence and increased REM sleep with low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin level in a patient after removal of craniopharyngioma.

Here we report a hypersomnolent girl with extensive hypothalamic damage after removal of a craniopharyngioma. The presence of a short sleep latency, sleep onset REM periods during a multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) and negative HLA DQB1*0602 typing suggested a diagnosis of symptomatic narcolepsy. Low cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1 level indicated destruction of hypocretin-producing neurons in the hypothalamus. An increased amount of REM sleep and a lack of REM sleep cyclicity documented by all-night polysomnography were different findings from previous reports of hypocretin-deficient idiopathic symptomatic narcolepsy. A more global hypothalamic lesion demonstrated by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after surgery seemed to cause marked disinhibition of REM sleep as well as hypersomnolence in this patient.

Child↗

Polymorphisms within the canine MLPH gene are associated with dilute coat color in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Pinschers and other dogs with coat color dilution show a characteristic pigmentation phenotype. The fur colors are a lighter shade, e.g. silvery grey (blue) instead of black and a sandy color (Isabella fawn) instead of red or brown. In some dogs the coat color dilution is sometimes accompanied by hair loss and recurrent skin inflammation, the so called color dilution alopecia (CDA) or black hair follicular dysplasia (BHFD). In humans and mice a comparable pigmentation phenotype without any documented hair loss is caused by mutations within the melanophilin gene (MLPH). RESULTS: We sequenced the canine MLPH gene and performed a mutation analysis of the MLPH exons in 6 Doberman Pinschers and 5 German Pinschers. A total of 48 sequence variations was identified within and between the breeds. Three families of dogs showed co-segregation for at least one polymorphism in an MLPH exon and the dilute phenotype. No single polymorphism was identified in the coding sequences or at splice sites that is likely to be causative for the dilute phenotype of all dogs examined. In 18 German Pinschers a mutation in exon 7 (R199H) was consistently associated with the dilute phenotype. However, as this mutation was present in homozygous state in four dogs of other breeds with wildtype pigmentation, it seems unlikely that this mutation is truly causative for coat color dilution. In Doberman Pinschers as well as in Large Munsterlanders with BHFD, a set of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) around exon 2 was identified that show a highly significant association to the dilute phenotype. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that coat color dilution is caused by one or more mutations within or near the MLPH gene in several dog breeds. The data on polymorphisms that are strongly associated with the dilute phenotype will allow the genetic testing of Pinschers to facilitate the breeding of dogs with defined coat colors and to select against Large Munsterlanders carrying BHFD.

Animals↗

Emerging therapies in narcolepsy-cataplexy.

In the past, narcolepsy was primarily treated using amphetamine-like stimulants and tricyclic antidepressants. Newer and novel agents, such as the wake-promoting compound modafinil and more selective reuptake inhibitors targeting the adrenergic, dopaminergic, and/or serotoninergic reuptake sites (ie, venlafaxine, atomoxetine) are better-tolerated available alternatives. The development of these agents, together with sodium oxybate (a slow-wave sleep-enhancing agent that consolidates nocturnal sleep, reduces cataplexy, and improves sleepiness), has led to improved functioning and quality of life for many patients with the disorder. However, these treatments are all symptomatically based and do not target hypocretin, a major neurotransmitter involved in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy. In this review, we discuss emerging therapies in the area of narcolepsy. These include novel antidepressant or anticataplectic, wake-promoting, and hypnotic compounds. We also report on novel strategies designed to compensate for hypocretin deficiency and on the use of immunosupression at the time of narcolepsy onset.

Genetic Therapy↗

Short sleep duration is associated with reduced leptin, elevated ghrelin, and increased body mass index.

BACKGROUND: Sleep duration may be an important regulator of body weight and metabolism. An association between short habitual sleep time and increased body mass index (BMI) has been reported in large population samples. The potential role of metabolic hormones in this association is unknown. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Study participants were 1,024 volunteers from the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study, a population-based longitudinal study of sleep disorders. Participants underwent nocturnal polysomnography and reported on their sleep habits through questionnaires and sleep diaries. Following polysomnography, morning, fasted blood samples were evaluated for serum leptin and ghrelin (two key opposing hormones in appetite regulation), adiponectin, insulin, glucose, and lipid profile. Relationships among these measures, BMI, and sleep duration (habitual and immediately prior to blood sampling) were examined using multiple variable regressions with control for confounding factors. A U-shaped curvilinear association between sleep duration and BMI was observed. In persons sleeping less than 8 h (74.4% of the sample), increased BMI was proportional to decreased sleep. Short sleep was associated with low leptin (p for slope = 0.01), with a predicted 15.5% lower leptin for habitual sleep of 5 h versus 8 h, and high ghrelin (p for slope = 0.008), with a predicted 14.9% higher ghrelin for nocturnal (polysomnographic) sleep of 5 h versus 8 h, independent of BMI. CONCLUSION: Participants with short sleep had reduced leptin and elevated ghrelin. These differences in leptin and ghrelin are likely to increase appetite, possibly explaining the increased BMI observed with short sleep duration. In Western societies, where chronic sleep restriction is common and food is widely available, changes in appetite regulatory hormones with sleep curtailment may contribute to obesity.

Adult↗

Angiotensin-converting enzyme, sleep-disordered breathing, and hypertension.

The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion polymorphism influences ACE activity, cardiovascular risk, blood pressure, and possibly the risk of developing Alzheimer's dementia. We explored the association of the insertion/deletion polymorphism with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and hypertension in 1,100 subjects of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort. The polymorphism did not influence body mass index or the occurrence of SDB, but was dose-dependently associated with blood pressure. Interestingly, SDB and the insertion/deletion polymorphism interacted significantly to modulate blood pressure independently of age, sex, ethnicity, and body mass index. Most specifically, the association of the deletion allele with hypertension was most pronounced in subjects with mild to moderate degrees of sleep apnea (5 < or = apnea-hypopnea index < or = 30). We hypothesize that in the absence of SDB the effect of the deletion allele alone may not be sufficient to increase blood pressure. At severe levels of SDB, the effect of sleep apnea on blood pressure overwhelms any association of the deletion allele with hypertension and occurs independent of any ACE gene genotype.

Adult↗