DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, 2D “FREEDOM” BRIGADE

UNITED STATES ARMY CADET COMMAND
335A HUNTINGTON AVENUE
BOSTON, MA 02115

  

03 March 2018

MEMORANDUM FOR PROFESSOR MUSSELMAN REGARDING JOHN WISE

SUBJECT: Project 2 Peer Review

PURPOSE: The purpose of this memorandum is to give constructive feedback on the first draft
of project 2.

Summary

1. Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder affecting a portion of the population. The disease can be
debilitating with symptoms such as sleep paralysis and hallucinations. There are two
classifications of narcolepsy. Type 1 experiences cataplexy which is a sudden loss of
muscle tone and increased emotional responses, type 2 does not.
2. First line pharmacological treatments include Modafinil and Armodafinil are drugs that
increase dopamine at synapse in order to promote wakefulness. Both have tested effective
for narcolepsy patients but Armodafinil is the prefered prescription because it only needs
to be taken once a day. Sodium Oxybate is another current pharmacological treatment
that is used to treat narcolepsy and cataplexy. It has a higher abuse potential than the
previously mentioned drugs but there is evidence of its effectiveness in improving
sleepiness
3. New treatments are emerging such as Pitolisant. Pilot studies have shown the drug to
significantly reduce sleepiness in subjects, even at a higher rate than Modafinil. JZP-110,
a reuptake inhibitor has also shown promising preliminary data.
4. Current research in the area of narcolepsy focuses on the replacement of hypocretin cells
which the disease destroys.

Major Points

5. Structure
a. The structure of the paper is laid out in a logical format, first introducing
Narcolepsy, its symptoms and classifications and what the review ahead will
present. Following the introduction, current treatments, emerging treatments and
the future of research in this field is discussed.
6. Content
a. The syntax of this paper was extremely clear and concise. There was not
extraneous information or unnecessary wording.
 DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, 2D “FREEDOM” BRIGADE
UNITED STATES ARMY CADET COMMAND
335A HUNTINGTON AVENUE
BOSTON, MA 02115

b. There are some sentences that need a citation after it for example on page 3 last
paragraph, 1st sentence. Which studies have shown Modafil as effective?
c. Main suggestion would be to include a table that held information on current and
emerging treatments. Pro vs Con and the studies that looked at them.
d.
Minor points
7. Need one more source
8. Define r-enantiomer

9. The point of contact for this memorandum is c/SGT Jack Nickles at

nickles.j@husky.neu.edu

Jack Nickles
c/SGT