Title: “Demystifying the Diagnosis of Narcolepsy: How Sleep Clinicians Can Become Better Detectives.”

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 1:00-2:15pm ET

Overview: Narcolepsy remains one of the most underrecognized and frequently misdiagnosed sleep disorders, often presenting with heterogeneous and non-classical features that challenge traditional diagnostic frameworks. This webinar will take a pragmatic, case-based approach to navigating atypical presentations, diagnostic ambiguity, and real-world barriers to timely identification. We will align on how to operationalize current ICSD-3-TR criteria in complex patients, interpret sleep study findings with nuance, and avoid common diagnostic pitfalls—particularly in patients without classic cataplexy or with overlapping comorbidities. The session will also explore evolving biomarkers, limitations of MSLT in clinical practice, and strategies to streamline diagnostic accuracy in high-noise environments. At the conclusion of this activity, learners will become more proficient about the diagnostic precision in people with narcolepsy learning about strategies to reduce the diagnostic delays—because in narcolepsy, delays aren’t just inefficiencies, they’re patient-impacting failures.

Learning Objectives:

• Deconstruct atypical presentations of narcolepsy
Identify how narcolepsy can manifest outside classic symptom clusters, including presentations dominated by insomnia, psychiatric overlays, or fragmented sleep.
• Apply ICSD-3-TR diagnostic criteria with clinical nuance
Translate formal criteria into real-world decision-making, particularly in borderline or incongruent cases.
• Interpret PSG/MSLT data in complex scenarios
Recognize limitations, confounders (e.g., insufficient sleep, medications, circadian misalignment), and false-negative/false-positive patterns.
• Differentiate narcolepsy from key mimics
Systematically distinguish narcolepsy from conditions such as idiopathic hypersomnia, insufficient sleep syndrome, circadian rhythm disorders, and parasomnias.
• Evaluate the role of emerging diagnostic tools
Understand when and how to incorporate CSF hypocretin testing, actigraphy, and other adjunctive assessments.
• Mitigate diagnostic delays and system inefficiencies
Implement streamlined workflows and referral strategies to accelerate accurate diagnosis in clinical practice.
• Develop a high-yield diagnostic framework
Build a structured, repeatable approach to evaluating excessive daytime sleepiness that reduces cognitive load and improves consistency across providers.

Speakers:

Alon Y. Avidan, MD, MPH (Chair)
Professor, UCLA Department of Neurology
UCLA Sleep Medicine Program Director
Toffler Endowed Scholar
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Maggie Blattner, MD, PhD
Senior Associate Consultant in Sleep Medicine
Mayo Clinic

Lois Elaine Krahn, MD
Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry
Mayo Clinic International Advisory Services

The webinar is made possible by the SRSF and supported by Alkermes.

Complimentary, Advanced Registration is Required. A recording will be available.