Study reveals how positive emotions trigger sudden muscle weakness in narcolepsy

Before coming to Auburn, Kroeger embarked on the study with his colleague at Harvard University, Dr.

By examining the activity of specific brain neurons and receptors, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine researcher Dr.

Daniel Kroeger helped discover that oxytocin is a key driver of these events, identifying a potential new target for future therapies.

Kroeger, a neuroscience professor, studies sleep and the ways it impacts memory, emotions and health conditions like Alzehimer’s disease.

Guided by the college’s One Health mission, his research spans animal and human health, seeking insights that improve outcomes across species.

He played a key role in incorporating optogenetics into the project, drawing on expertise he developed during a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University.

The technique uses pulses of light to activate targeted neurons, allowing researchers to precisely investigate their role in complex biological processes.

“Quite often in the brain, you have neurons that do one thing intermingled with neurons that do the opposite,” Kroeger said.

“If you were to advance a stimulating electrode in the middle of them and turn on the juice, you would activate both.

Now, with optogenetics, we can use light flashes to activate only the brain cells that we want to activate and leave their neighbors untouched.” Using both optogenetics and chemogenetics — another technique used to control the activity of specific cells — the research team targeted specific neurons to assess their role during a cataplexy episode.

Scientists have long known that narcolepsy is linked to the loss of orexin neurons, specialized brain cells that help stabilize wakefulness, but much less is known about the broader network of brain cells involved in the disorder.

The report adds to ongoing university-led research relevant to veterinary medicine, animal health, and clinical decision-making.

university website: Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine