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Interactive Cataplexy Tool

Identifying Cataplexy in Adult Patients

Cataplexy is defined as generally brief, usually bilaterally symmetrical sudden loss of muscle tone with retained consciousness.¹ Cataplexy attacks are often triggered by strong emotions or certain situations.^1-3 Up to two-thirds of all people with narcolepsy have cataplexy.^4,5 However, manifestations may differ widely among patients,¹ and cataplexy can vary over the course of a patient’s life.^6,7

While laughter is the most common trigger, a range of other emotions or situations can provoke cataplexy (eg, anger, excitement, being startled)^3,8,9
Muscle weakness may involve most major skeletal muscles, but more often, cataplexy is partial and limited to one area of the body^2,10,11

Click on an area of the body to see different examples of cataplexy

Silhouette of a human body

Silhouette of a human body

Face
Neck
Hands and Arms
Knees and Legs

Toggle to Compare Cataplexy of the and Normal Muscle Tone

Cataplexy

Normal Muscle Tone

Images shown are not actual patients.

Cataplexy may develop and evolve over time, so regularly assess for cataplexy in all patients with narcolepsy^6,7,20

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References

American Academy of Sleep Medicine. International Classification of Sleep Disorders. 3rd ed, text revision. American Academy of Sleep Medicine; 2023.
Overeem S. The clinical features of cataplexy. In: Baumann CR, Bassetti CL, Scammell TE, eds. Narcolepsy: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment. New York, NY: Springer-Verlag; 2011:283-290.
Anic-Labat S, Guilleminault C, Kraemer HC, Meehan J, Arrigoni J, Mignot E. Validation of a cataplexy questionnaire in 983 sleep-disorder patients. Sleep. 1999;22(1):77-87.
Thorpy MJ. Recently approved and upcoming treatments for narcolepsy. CNS Drugs. 2020;34(1):9-27.
Ruoff C, Rye D. The ICSD-3 and DSM-5 guidelines for diagnosing narcolepsy: clinical relevance and practicality. Curr Med Res Opin. 2016;32(10):1611-1622.
Almeneessier AS, Alballa NS, Alsalman BH, Aleissi S, Olaish AH, BaHammam AS. A 10-year longitudinal observational study of cataplexy in a cohort of narcolepsy type 1 patients. Nat Sci Sleep. 2019;11:231-239.
Huang B, Xu T, Wang Z, et al. The clinical characteristics of cataplectic attack in narcolepsy type 1. Sleep Med. 2021;77:261-269.
Lividini A, Pizza F, Filardi M, et al. Narcolepsy type 1 features across the life span: age impact on clinical and polysomnographic phenotype. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021;17(7):1363-1370.
Pizza F, Antelmi E, Vandi S, et al. The distinguishing motor features of cataplexy: a study from video-recorded attacks. Sleep. 2018;41(5). doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsy026
Ahmed I, Thorpy M. Clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of narcolepsy. Clin Chest Med. 2010;31(2):371-381.
Overeem S, van Nues S, van der Zande WL, Donjacour CE, van Mierlo P, Lammers GJ. The clinical features of cataplexy: a questionnaire study in narcolepsy patients with and without hypocretin-1 deficiency. Sleep Med. 2011;12(1):12-18.
Schneider L, Ellenbogen J. Images: facial cataplexy with demonstration of persistent eye movements. J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(1):157-159.
Heidbreder A, Dirks C, Ramm M. Therapy for cataplexy. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2020;22:1-13.
Dauvilliers Y, Siegel JM, Lopez R, Torontali ZA, Peever JH. Cataplexy—clinical aspects, pathophysiology and management strategy. Nat Rev Neurol. 2014;10(7):386-395.
Thorpy M, Morse AM. Reducing the clinical and socioeconomic burden of narcolepsy by earlier diagnosis and effective treatment. Sleep Med Clin. 2017;12(1):61-71.
Morse AM. Narcolepsy in children and adults: a guide to improved recognition, diagnosis and management. Med Sci (Basel). 2019;7(12):106.
Bassetti CLA, Adamantidis A, Burdakov D, et al. Narcolepsy - clinical spectrum, aetiopathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment. Nat Rev Neurol. 2019;15(9):519-539.
Bassetti C, Aldrich MS. Narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and periodic hypersomnias. In: Culebras A, ed. Sleep Disorders and Neurological Disease. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 2000:323-354.
Pelayo R, Lopes MC. Narcolepsy. In: Lee-Chiong TL, ed. Sleep: A Comprehensive Handbook. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; 2006:145-150.
Sturzenegger C, Bassetti CL. The clinical spectrum of narcolepsy with cataplexy: a reappraisal. J Sleep Res. 2004;13(4):395-406.