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Toxic Neuromuscular Transmission Disorders

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Neuromuscular Disorders in Clinical Practice

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Abstract

The neurotoxins affecting neuromuscular transmission may be broadly classified into three major categories: pharmacological, biological, and environmental. This chapter focuses on the direct effects of neurotoxins affecting neuromuscular transmission of man but is not meant to be a treatise on the broad topic of neuromuscular neurotoxicology. It is not possible to elaborate on all of the pharmacological and physiological effects of particular toxins beyond the scope of the NMJ nor will it discuss in detail the neuromuscular blocking effects of these neurotoxins in animals or experimental preparations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    While tetanus toxin also binds to the neuromuscular junction, its mechanism of action is distinctly different. This toxin is translocated into the nerve terminal and then moves in a retro-axonal fashion to the synaptic space between the alpha motoneuron and inhibitory neurons. There it inhibits exocytosis resulting in paresis. Because it does not directly involve the motor nerve terminal, it will not be discussed further.

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  1. Laboratory for Myasthenia Gravis Research, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2200 Physician Office Bldg., CB#7025, 170 Manning Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7025, USA

    James F. Howard Jr. M.D.

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  1. School of Medicine Department of Neurology, University Hospitals Case Medical Center Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Bashar Katirji

  2. Department of Neurology, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henry J. Kaminski

  3. University School of Medicine Department of Neurology, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center Case Western Reserve, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Robert L. Ruff

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Howard, J.F. (2014). Toxic Neuromuscular Transmission Disorders. In: Katirji, B., Kaminski, H., Ruff, R. (eds) Neuromuscular Disorders in Clinical Practice. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6567-6_52

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