Flu Vaccine-Narcolepsy Link Explained?

A new study sheds light on why those who received GlaxoSmithKline’s flu vaccine were at an increased risk of developing the sleep disorder.

Written byJef Akst

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WIKIMEDIA, PEDRO SIMOESEditor’s note (August 1, 2014): This paper was retracted after the authors failed to reproduce the results.

People suffering from narcolepsy may be victims of their own immune system, according to a study published this week (December 18) in Science Translational Medicine. Specifically, researchers have found evidence to suggest that the sleep disorder might result from an immune reaction against the wakefulness-regulating hormone hypocretin—possibly one triggered GlaxoSmithKline’s Pandemrix flu vaccine that has been linked to an increased risk of developing narcolepsy, or even a case of the flu itself.

The work reveals “the fingerprints of an immune attack,” neuroimmunologist Lawrence Steinman of Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, who was not involved in the research, told ScienceNOW.

The results are “exactly what we’ve been waiting for,” added vaccine expert Hanna Nohynek of the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, who ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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