The field of sleep medicine is in a welcome stage of rapid advance, but at a pace that leads to a sometimes overwhelming overload of knowledge for both clinicians and researchers. The nine papers in this issue are designed to give the reader an organized overview of current thinking and background in Basic Science, Clinical Science and Therapeutic Measures, the major divisions of this special issue.An important trend is the increasing development of basic science knowledge relevant to understanding and treating the clinical features of sleep disorders.The therapeutic advances section covers both the treatment of narcolepsy and the role of non‐invasive ventilation. The recent neurobiologic knowledge that narcolepsy‐cataplexy results from a deficiency of the hypothalamic neuropeptide hypocretin (orexin) has opened has opened the exciting possibility of using novel therapies. Despite this new knowledge, traditional stimulants and anticataplectic agents including modafinil, a novel wake‐promoting agent and selective serotonergic, adrenergic and dopaminergic reuptake inhibitors and recently introduced sodium oxybate remain the mainstay of treatment for this condition.To whet the reader’s appetite and to offer a road map for possible reading, we briefly summarize the content of the papers.
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