Diseases Of NMJ Flashcards

1
Q

What is the motor unit?

A

• Alpha motor neuron plus all of the extrafusal fibers that it innervates

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2
Q

What are the neurogenic motor unit diseases?

A
– Diseases of the peripheral nerve
– Lesions of:
•Cell body
•Axon
•Neuromuscular junction •Schwann Cells
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3
Q

What are myogenic NMJ diseases?

A

– Diseases of the muscle (myopathies)

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4
Q

What NMJ diseasesimpact the soma?

A

Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS)

Poliomyelitis

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5
Q

What diseases effect Schwann cells?

A

Guillain-Barre

Diphtheria

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6
Q

What are the diseases affecting the nerve endings of the NMJ?

A

Botulism
Alpha-Latrotoxin
Beta-Bungarotoxin
Curare

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7
Q

What NMJ diseases impact the end plate?

A

Myasthenia gravis

nACHR defects

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8
Q

What NMJ diseases impact the synaptic cleft?

A

Myasthenias

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9
Q

What NMJ diseases impact the muscle fiber?

A

Myotonias

Muscular dystrophy

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10
Q

What are the etiology of nerve (soma and/or axon)?

A
Etiology 
– Toxins
– Drugs
– Trauma
– Idiopathic 
– Pathogens

Soma

  1. Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS)
  2. Poliomyelitis
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11
Q

What are the manifestations of lesions of nerve (doma and/of axom)?

A

Manifestations:
– Muscle atrophy and weakness
– Hyporeflexia
– Fasciculations and fibrillations

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12
Q

What is polymyelitis?

A

Polio - polios “grey”
Myelitis - myelos “marrow” + -itis “inflammation.“
Infection causing inflammation of the gray matter in the spinal cord leading to paralysis.

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13
Q

What us the etiology of poliomyelitis?

A

Etiology
• Small RNA viruses of the Enterovirus genus of the Picornaviridae family.
• Transmission is via fecal-oral route.

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14
Q

What are the clinical features of the poliomyelitis?

A
  • Paralytic poliomyelitis: Profound asymmetrical muscle weakness and signs of LMN lesion
  • Extensive paralysis of the trunk may occur

• Mid-cervical involvement (C3-4-5) can paralyze diaphragm,
necessitating ventilation

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15
Q

What is the diagnosis of poliomyelitis?

A
Clinical Features
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of poliovirus
CSF
- Elevated WBC
- Mildly elevated protein
- Glucose is normal
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16
Q

What is the impact of Schwann cell lesions?

A

Lesions of Schwann Cells cause demyelination
- Conduction slowing or block

Schwann Cells
1. Guillain-Barre 2. Diphtheria

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17
Q

What is the etiology of Schwann cell lesions?

A

Etiology:
– Autoimmune attack
– Toxins

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18
Q

What is the alpha laatrotoxin?

A

Alpha-Latrotoxin
• Toxin in venom of the black widow spider that
causes massive release of ACh by affecting presynaptic exocytotic proteins

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19
Q

What is Beta-Bungarotoxin?

A

Beta-Bungarotoxin
• Toxin in venom of snake initially provokes
ACh release followed by ACh depletion by acting on proteins in nerve terminals involved in exocytosis

20
Q

What does the botulinum toxin do?

A

• BotulinumToxin
• Toxic anaerobic bacterial protease
that reduces ACh release by acting on presynaptic exocytotic proteins

21
Q

What does Curare do?

A
  • Curare(delta-tubocurarine)

* Blocks nAChRs

22
Q

What is lambert Eaton syndrome?

A

This is a presynaptic disorder of neuromuscular transmission in which release of acetylcholine (ACh) is affected

Autoimmune disease
– antibodies attack presynaptic voltage- gated calcium channels

23
Q

What does Lambert eaton syndrome affect?

A

Neuro-Muscular Junction

Lambert–Eaton Syndrome

24
Q

What are the charscteristics of lambert eaton syndrome?

A

– Muscle weakness and ‘facilitating neuromuscular
block’
– Often found in patients with pulmonary small cell
cancers

– Cell cultures express voltage-gated calcium channels
• Antibodiesmanufacturedagainsttheseproteins

– Antibodies cross-link voltage-gated calcium channels in
motor nerve terminals
• ReducedAChrelease

25
Q

What are the physiological changes at end plate in lambert eaton syndrome?

A

Physiological Changes at End Plate
– Amplitude of Mini EPP is unchanged
– Reduced amplitude of EPP

• Reduced quantal content
– Many EPPs do not attain threshold in muscle fibers
– Waxing response in EMG(relates to facilitating neuromuscular
block)

26
Q

Describe therapy of lambert eaton syndrome

A

Therapy for Lambert-Eaton Syndrome
– Removal of underlying tumor and immunosuppressive drugs

– Plasma exchange

– Calcium gluconate to enhance calcium influx into nerve terminal

– 4-aminopyridine (potassium channel blocker) to prolong presynaptic action potential and improve transmitter release

27
Q

What is congenital myasthenias?

A
  • Many forms of congenital Myasthenia

* They usually present at birth and show signs and symptoms before the age of two years

27
Q

What is congenital myasthenias?

A
  • Many forms of congenital Myasthenia

* They usually present at birth and show signs and symptoms before the age of two years

28
Q

What are the main forms of myasthenias?

A
  1. Deficiency of ACh-esterase in synaptic cleft at end plate
    – EPP amplitude is larger and more prolonged than normal
    – Motor nerve stimuli separated by long intervals cause single muscle twitches (indicating increased temporal summation)
    – Motor nerve stimuli delivered in trains produce temporal summation of EPPs and cause depolarization block of muscle
2. Prolonged opening of channels
• 'Slow Channel Syndrome'
– Inherited rare condition presents at birth or early childhood
• Muscle weakness
• Rapid fatigue
– Prolonged opening of the ACh channel
– A resultant depolarization block

Other forms
– One form where the binding of ACh to nAChR is abnormal
– One form where the ACh-gated channels have very brief opening times

29
Q

What is myasthenia gravis?

A

– Chronic autoimmune disease
• Antibodies to nAChRs develop and reduce transmission at the
NMJ

– Genetic susceptibility

30
Q

What are the symptoms of myasthenia gravis?

A

Symptoms
– Weakness of somatic muscles
• Not associated with denervation

– Fatigability
– Temporary restoration of strength after rest

31
Q

Describe antibody interactions

A

Interaction of Antibody and nAChR
– Antibodies bind to Alpha subunits of nAChR
– Antibodies do not compete with ACh for binding sites on subunits
– Antibodies cross-link neighboring nAChRs

32
Q

Explain the dynamics of cross-linked nAChRs in end plate membrane

A

Dynamics of cross-linked nAChRs in end plate membrane
– Endocytosis of nAChRs in end plate membranes
– Lysosomal destruction
– Enhanced removal rate of nAChRs but no enhanced rate of insertion of nAChRs into end plate membrane
– Fall of density of nAChRs at end plate

33
Q

What are the structural xhanges of the end plate?

A

Structional Changes at the End Plate – Fewer nAChRs
– Wider synaptic cleft
– Smaller junctional folds

34
Q

What are the clinical. Features of myasthenua gravis?

A

Clinical features:
– incidence 1:10,000
– xx : xy = 2:1 (all races), xx age 20-30 , xy age 60-70
– Typical onset: 1st symptom is diplopia in the afternoon, disappears following morning
– Gradual increase in duration of diplopia, followed by ptosis
– Restriction of extraocular movements
– Ptosis compensated by backward tilting of the head and
wrinkling of frontalis muscle

35
Q

How is Myasthenia Gravis diagnosed?

A

Diagnosis:
– Repeated clenching and unclenching of fist → rapid loss of strength

– Tensilon test (edrophonium): after injection of Tensilon (ACh- esterase inhibitor) muscular strength recovers temporarily

– Ice pack

– Anti- AChR antibody testing

– EMG

36
Q

What are the therapies of myasthenia Gravis?

A
Therapies:
– Thymectomy
– Immunosuppressing medication: azathioprine,
corticosteroids
– Pyridostigmine (AChE inhibitor)

• Myasthenic crisis: medical emergency
– Causes: sudden onset of disease, patient becomes
refractory to drug
– ICU treatment, intubation and respirator therapy

37
Q

Describe myotonia congenita

A
  • Myotonia: delayed relaxation of muscle after voluntary contraction or percussion.
  • Myotonia congenita is due to a mutation in the ClCN1 chloride channel.
  • The chloride channel defect causes increased excitability
  • Muscular hypertrophy can develop despite little physical activity in these patients.
38
Q

What is myotonia congenita?

A

Smaller depolarization is required to evoke an action potential and may even cause a train of action potentials

Repetitive firing of the muscle fiber after motor nerve stimulation ceases
Delayed relaxation phase of the neuronal evoked muscular contraction

39
Q

What is muscular dystrophy?

A

MuscularDystrophy
Group of disorders that characteristics of progressive muscular
weakness

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Most common X-linked recessive disorder of muscles
Onset in early childhood
Muscle weakness develops progressively
Patients die from cardiovascular and respiratory insufficiency Cause: absence of muscle protein - Dystrophin

40
Q

Describe the myopathy of muscular dystrophy

A

• Onset: 3–5 years of age
• Proximal muscle weakness and
calf hypertrophy is common

  • difficulty in running or getting up from the ground, frequent falls, or toe-walking
  • High serum marker levels of CK
41
Q

What are the lower motor neuron syndrome?

A

Lower Motor Neurons (LMNS) - primary motor neurons of the spinal cord and brain stem that directly innervate skeletal muscles.

• Upper Motor Neurons
-neurons that originate in higher regions of the brain (cortex…) and synapse on lower motor neurons.

42
Q

What are the signs of LMNS?

A
Signs of LMNS
– Muscle weakness
(paresis)
– Flaccid paralysis
– Loss of tendon reflexes
– Fasciculations
– Fibrillations
– Developing muscle atrophy → death of muscle
43
Q

What are fasciculations and fibrillations in an LMNS?

A

Fasciculations and fibrillations are signs that muscle fibers are undergoing de-nervation.

• Fasciculations:
– Fasciculationsareirregularspontaneouscontractionsofthemuscle fibers in motor units giving visible twitches at surface of body. Fasciculations by themselves are not always a sign of motor neuron damage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u421daHAgpY

• Fibrillations (EMG!)
– arespontaneouscontractionsofsinglemusclefibers.

44
Q

Describe the expression nAChRs in muscle

A

In embryonic muscle fiber the nAChRs are distributed across the entire surface

In adult muscle fiber the pattern of nerve stimulation leads to
aggregation of nAChRs under nerve endin