Pathway and Effect of Intranasal Orexin

The neurotransmitter orexin has been shown to modulate wakefulness and sleep and other functions regarding cognition and the metabolic system. Because of the link between orexin-A deficiency and the disorder narcolepsy, effects of orexin on sleep and wakefulness are of particular interest for clinical purposes. Indeed, the transfer of results of animal studies to study protocols with humans is problematic. The utilized methods used in animals are not realizable in patients for ethical reasons, such as intracerebroventricular injection, possible side effects, and less effectiveness of intravenous and oral orexin. One way to avoid these problems is the intranasal administration of drugs. We present rare results of the relatively new procedure for administering orexin.