Narcolepsy causes
Narcolepsy might be occurring and developing due to the cataplexy or sudden paralysis of muscles all over the body which might be due to the autoimmune dysfunction. In the case of cataplexy there is lack of the hypocretin chemical in the hypothalamus region of the brain. The presence of hypocretin chemical is very essential for the regulation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness. Narcolepsy in the cases of without the occurrence of cataplexy involves the same symptoms but the exact cause of the narcolepsy is unknown. Any injury to the hypothalamus, injuries to the brain stem, stroke and tumors might be the cause of narcolepsy.
Genetic predisposition
According to the latest understanding of narcolepsy, the symptoms of narcolepsy disorder begins with an underlying mutation in the genetic makeup or in the case of people having genetic predisposition to narcolepsy. The studies confirm that the people born with some genes that put them at higher risk for developing narcolepsy. In the early childhood or the beginning of the teen years, any event such as an infection might stimulate the onset of narcolepsy. Any event like an infection might cause autoimmune response, in which the immune system dysfunctions by attacking the specialized cells in the brain that produce hypocretin instead of attacking the infection causing agents.