“Paralyzing Love” Shuts Off Neuroscientist’s Waking Functions

Oregon neuroscientist Matt Frerking is an extraordinary case of a person suffering from a rare sleep disorder. His narcolepsy with cataplexy prevents him from experiencing intensely positive feelings like joy or love without literally becoming paralyzed. Yet he continues to go about his daily life as a successful researcher and family man. He even drives to work.

Frerking was profiled on ABC’s television newsmagazine “Nightline” on Tuesday. His story will continue Thursday evening in the ABC primetime special “Secrets of Your Mind: Why We Do What We Do.”



The Sleep Education Blog reported earlier this summer that narcolepsy with cataplexy affects only .02 percent of adults in the world. Strong emotions such as surprise, anger or love trigger a sudden loss in muscle tone. Sufferers of the disorder may slump forward or even fall to the ground. They remain lucid throughout the attack, trapped in their bodies.

There is no cure, but Frerkin has adapted his lifestyle to avoid the attacks by suppressing his emotions and avoiding any environmental influences that may trigger strong emotions. A sizable cocktail of prescription medications also helps reduce and delay the attacks.

Frerkin has learned to pull himself out of cataplexy by neutralizing his emotions. He copes with the attacks by dreaming up complicated solutions to complex work problems while his body is paralyzed.

In the “Nightline” interview he regains control by thinking of “Snare Complexes,” whatever that means.

“Secrets of Your Mind: Why We Do What We Do” airs Thursday, August 19 at 8:00 p.m. est. on ABC.

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Ravens Rookie Linebacker Kindle Fractures Skull, Narcolepsy to Blame?

Speculation is rampant after the Baltimore Raven’s first pick in the 2010 NFL draft suffered a bizarre off -field injury earlier this week. Rookie linebacker Sergio Kindle will miss training camp after fracturing his skull by falling down two flights of stairs. Numerous media outlets are linking the fall to narcolepsy. A sleep specialist might respond to these reports with a healthy dose of skepticism.

The original report came from Raven’s coach John Harbaugh. He said the fall happened when Kindle turned the wrong way after waking up in the middle of the night at a friend’s home. The linebacker’s college coach Mack Brown responded with speculation that narcolepsy led to teh incident.

Here’s the problem, a person with the type of narcolepsy that could cause a falling injury would be incapable of playing sports, let alone professional football. Narcolepsy with cataplexy causes a person who is awake to suddenly lose muscle tone. These episodes are usually triggered as a response to strong emotions such as surprise or happiness.

Wouldn’t football cause a near constant narcoleptic response based on the sport’s violent and emotional nature? What happens when a linebacker is suddenly blindsided by an offensive guard’s block? A person with narcolepsy with cataplexy would be unlikely to last more than a few plays before collapsing.

And why would a team draft a player with the condition? Kindle fell from the first round of the NFL draft, as he was originally projected. But scouts did not seem concerned with reports claiming Kindle had narcolepsy. Knee injuries and character problems caused the draft day slide. A high level Raven’s scout said the team would have never drafted Kindle if narcolepsy was such a problem.

You may remember the Sleep Education Blog covered that story earlier this year. Kindle reportedly couldn’t stay awake in team meetings when he was with the Texas Longhorns. The same reports mentioned Kindle struggled with substance abuse.

It’s impossible to say what happened in the middle of the night earlier this week, but based on medical knowledge and past reports it’s safe to say narcolepsy with cataplexy did not cause Kindle to fall down stairs and fracture his skull. Hopefully we will learn the true cause of the injury as the story unfolds.

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Paralyzed by happiness, strong emotions trigger real-life sleep disorder narcolepsy with cataplexy

Imagine living in fear of the one thing everyone wants - those moments of happiness. For the unlucky few cursed with a rare sleep disorder, one fleeting blissful thought is all it takes to launch a paralyzing attack.

At first the muscles start to full heavy, then the head begins to fall forward and the body falls to the ground. The victim remains lucid the entire time. Just one bad fall could result in serious injury or death.

The disorder is a form of narcolepsy. A unique symptom called cataplexy causes a sudden loss in muscle tone while awake. Episodes of cataplexy tend to be triggered by a strong emotions, usually happiness, laughter or surprise.

Only .02 percent of adults in the world have narcolepsy with cataplexy. The cause is still under debate. Some researchers believe the brain somehow confuses wakefulness with REM sleep. The signal that causes the body to go limp in REM sleep is sent while a person is fully awake.

Listeners of the radio show “This American Life” should be familiar with the disorder. A recent episode told the story of a man who has narcolepsy with cataplexy in a segment titled “I've Fallen in Love and I Can't Get Up.”

The subject of the story Matt can’t tell his wife he loves her without having an attack. He can’t see his grandchild, he can’t look at puppies, he can’t even think about a photograph he’s never actually seen.

When he communicates, he has to talk slowly and never get too excited or enthusiastic. In his own words, Matt has to act like a robot.

Narcolepsy with cataplexy has no cure, so patients have to change their behavior and avoid emotion-causing stimuli. Doctors often prescribe stimulants to treat the daytime sleepiness symptoms. Antidepressents combined with the drug GHB, or Xyrem, can reduce and delay, but not eliminate cataplexy.

In a BBC segment, a home video begins with another man with narcolepsy with cataplexy collapsed at the foot of a staircase. He complains of regularly feeling trapped in his body while police or emergency workers treat him thinking he’s unconscious from another accident.



Humans aren’t the only species who can have narcolepsy. Some dogs also collapse from cataplexy.

Read more about narcolepsy at sleepeducation.com.

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