Recent observations have implicated hypocretin deficiency in the pathogenesis of narcolepsy. Hypocretin neurotransmission also affects energy balance, and narcoleptic patients tend to become obese. Because hypocretins appear to have important neuroendocrine effects, we hypothesized that the neuroendocrine systems that regulate energy balance might be distinctly set in narcolepsy. As leptin is a pivotal part of these systems, we explored the 24-h plasma leptin (20-min sampling interval) concentration profile in six narcoleptic males and six normal controls, matched for age, sex, body mass index, waist/hip ratio, and fat mass. We thus demonstrated a reduction of the mean 24-h leptin concentration in narcoleptics to 52% of that in controls (5.9 microg/liter in narcolepsy vs. 11.4 microg/liter in controls; P < 0.05). Further, a nocturnal acrophase (clock time of the highest concentration), which is typical of normal leptin secretion, was observed in controls (mean, 2335 h; 95% confidence interval, 2105-0205 h), but not in narcoleptic patients. The mechanisms that potentially disturb the circadian rhythm of leptin levels in hypocretin-deficient narcoleptic humans include anomalies of the sleep-wake cycle and/or disruption of the circadian distribution of autonomic activity. As leptin deficiency clearly leads to morbid obesity in experimental animals and humans, we infer that the observed reduction of plasma leptin levels may predispose narcoleptic humans to weight gain.