Cataplexy is most commonly associated with which condition?

Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle tone often triggered by strong emotions such as laughter or surprise and is classically associated with narcolepsy, particularly narcolepsy type 1. In this condition, cataplexy occurs due to dysfunctional mechanisms in the brain that regulate sleep and wakefulness, specifically the failure to maintain muscle control when a person is awake.

Individuals with narcolepsy experience excessive daytime sleepiness alongside periodic sleep attacks, and the presence of cataplexy significantly aids in the diagnosis of narcolepsy. The condition is a result of a deficiency in hypocretin (orexin), a neuropeptide that plays a crucial role in promoting wakefulness.

Other conditions listed, such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease, do have neuromuscular or neurological symptoms but are not characteristically linked to cataplexy in the same definitive manner as narcolepsy. For example, while seizures can cause loss of muscle control in epilepsy, it is due to a different underlying mechanism than what is seen in narcolepsy. Thus, the association of cataplexy with narcolepsy is well-documented and recognized in sleep medicine.