Cataplexy vs. Catalepsy

Cataplexynoun

(medicine) An abrupt loss of muscle tone, sometimes associated with narcolepsy.

Cataplexynoun

A morbid condition caused by an overwhelming shock or extreme fear and marked by rigidity of the muscles.

Cataplexy

Cataplexy is a sudden and transient episode of muscle weakness accompanied by full conscious awareness, typically triggered by emotions such as laughing, crying, or terror. Cataplexy affects approximately 70% of people who have narcolepsy, and is caused by an autoimmune destruction of hypothalamic neurons that produce the neuropeptide hypocretin (also called orexin), which regulates arousal and has a role in stabilization of the transition between wake and sleep states.

Catalepsynoun

(pathology) severe bodily condition, described in psychiatric pathology, marked by sudden rigidity, fixation of posture, and loss of contact with environmental conditions

Catalepsynoun

A sudden suspension of sensation and volition, the body and limbs preserving the position that may be given them, while the action of the heart and lungs continues.

Catalepsynoun

a trancelike state with loss of voluntary motion and failure to react to stimuli

Catalepsy

Catalepsy (from Ancient Greek katálēpsis, κατάληψις, ) is a nervous condition characterized by muscular rigidity and fixity of posture regardless of external stimuli, as well as decreased sensitivity to pain.