Is schizophrenia associated with narcolepsy?

OBJECTIVE

To determine the nature of the relationship between schizophrenia-like psychosis and narcolepsy.

BACKGROUND

A relationship between schizophrenia and narcolepsy has long been postulated due to the association of schizophrenia-like psychosis with narcolepsy and its treatment.

METHOD: We report two patients who presented with schizophrenia-like psychosis of narcolepsy and review the literature regarding possible shared neurobiology between the two disorders that might explain their co-occurrence.

RESULTS

There appears to be little in the way of common pathology between these two conditions when symptoms, human leukocyte antigen associations, rapid eye movement sleep architecture, D2-dopamine receptor changes, and hypocretinergic function are examined.

CONCLUSIONS

The available literature suggests that schizophrenia-like psychosis in narcolepsy is most commonly medication related or a chance co-occurrence, with limited evidence for a separate psychosis of narcolepsy.