Science at UM [S03-ep02]: A Revolution in the Treatment of Narcolepsy
This week on *A l’UM la science*, Yves Dauvilliers, a neurologist at Montpellier University Hospital and a researcher at the Institute of Neurosciences, discusses a rare condition: narcolepsy. In the second half of the program, Patrick Lemaire presents the *Sciences en images* exhibition, “Life Is Beautiful.”
Perhaps because it isn’t visible, or perhaps because people imagine it to be painless, narcolepsy—which affects about 20,000 people in France—is one of those conditions that tends to elicit a smile. And while the film *Narco* by Tristan Aurouet and Gilles Lellouche helped raise public awareness of this condition 20 years ago, it also gave it an aura of constant humor by depicting the comical situations that these uncontrollable bouts of sleepiness can indeed cause.
In real life, narcolepsy is a serious burden for those who suffer from it: difficulties at work, of course, difficulties driving, weight gain, irritability, loss of self-confidence… In short, the lives of people with narcolepsy are anything but smooth sailing. Fortunately, treatments have advanced over the past twenty years, and they have just taken a giant leap forward thanks to a new molecule developed by our guest’s team. Yves Dauvilliers is a sleep neurologist at Montpellier University Hospital, a researcher at the Montpellier Institute of Neurosciences, and also the coordinator of the four French reference centers for narcolepsy.
Learn more
- Read the press release: A major breakthrough in the treatment of narcolepsy
- View the publication " Oral Orexin Receptor 2 Agonist in Narcolepsy Type 1"
- Read the article "A New Treatment for Narcolepsy " published in Lum magazine
Our last-minute guest is Patrick Lemaire, head of the MRI platform (Montpellier Imaging Resources) and , a researcher at CRBM, the Center for Molecular Biology Research. He talks to us about the “Science in Pictures” exhibition titled “Life Is Beautiful,” presented by the imaging and cytometry platform to mark its 20th anniversary. The exhibition opens on September 29 and will run through October 31.
At UM Science, you’ve got the program—let’s get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production: Tom Chevalier
Tune in to the show “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
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