Discovery of Hypocretin/Orexin Ushers in a New Era of Sleep Research

Prior to the 21st century, genetic mechanisms that regulate sleep were largely unknown. In 1998, de Lecea et al. [1] (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 1998; 95:322–327) and Sakurai et al. [2] (Cell 1998; 92: 573–585) reported the discovery of a gene they named hypocretin and orexin, respectively, which led to a revolution in our understanding of genetic and neuronal mechanisms that regulate sleep.