Gotta Love This

I am trying to work on the MS paper. But it's been sunny and warm here and somehow I keep ending up out in the yard. Anyhow, EW sent me a link to this article:

Dr. Mignot proclaims Narcolepsy is an Autoimmune disorder

During this study, the researchers ran whole-genome scans—which allow for the analysis of hundreds of thousands of genetic variations—of 1,800 people carrying the same HLA gene variant. Of the group, 800 had narcolepsy, and the goal was to find what differentiated these people from control subjects. The team found that a specific variation of a gene belonging to T cells—specialized immune cells that play a role in all immune responses—was present in narcolepsy.

Because T cells are involved, Mignot believes the mechanism behind narcolepsy stems from the immune system. “Our discovery clearly shows narcolepsy is an autoimmune disease,” he said.

I cannot express how much I appreciate this study. It fills in an empty section in the Narcolepsy portion of my hypothesis. Aberrant T-cell activity is known to be associated with Parkinson's disease and Multiple Sclerosis. It is also associated with impaired latency of herpes viruses.

Thanks Dr. Mignot!