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Disorders of Neuromuscular Transmission

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Clinical Handbook of Neuromuscular Medicine

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Abstract

The neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is a specialized structure connecting the motor nerve terminal to the muscle membrane. Dysfunction of the NMJ can occur due to genetic mutations, autoimmune or toxic causes. NMJ disorders are important to recognize because they can lead to severe or life-threatening weakness, and most of them are treatable. A summary of NMJ anatomy and the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment of the most common NMJ disorders is presented below.

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Abbreviations

AchR:

Acetylcholine receptor

CMS:

Congenital myasthenic syndromes

LEMS:

Lambert-eaton myasthenic syndrome

MG:

Myasthenia gravis

RNS:

Repetitive nerve stimulation

SFEMG:

Single fiber EMG

VGCC:

Voltage-gated calcium channel

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Georgios Manousakis MD

Authors
  1. Georgios Manousakis MD
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Correspondence to Georgios Manousakis MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    David Walk

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Manousakis, G. (2018). Disorders of Neuromuscular Transmission. In: Walk, D. (eds) Clinical Handbook of Neuromuscular Medicine . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67116-1_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67116-1_3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67115-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-67116-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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