Given the wakefulness-promoting and REM-suppressing actions of the activation of the orexin/hypocretin system demonstrated in basic research studies and the destruction of orexin/hypocretin neurons observed in most human cases of narcolepsy with cataplexy, it has long been hoped that orexin agonists could be developed which would alleviate the symptoms of type I narcolepsy and treat excessive daytime sleepiness and/or hypersomnolence in a variety of other disorders (Wurts Black et al., 2017). The gene discussed is HCRT; the disease is narcolepsy.