Disorders of neuromuscular function Flashcards
Muscle Tone Terminology
- Hypotonia
- Diminished resistance to passive movement
- Soft muscles on palpation
- Diminished deep tendon reflexes - Hypertonia
- Hyperexcitable stretch reflex causing rigidity & spasticity - Clonus
- Involuntary rhythmic muscular contractions and relaxations
Motor Dysfunction Terminology
Plegia = stroke or paralysis Paralysis = loss of movement Paresis = weakness Mono- = one limb Hemi- = both limbs on one side Di- or para- = both upper limbs or both lower limbs
Quadri- or tetra- = all four limbs
Upper Motor Neuron Damage
> Weakness and loss of voluntary motion > Spinal reflexes remain intact but cannot be modulated by the brain - Increased muscle tone - Hypertonia/Hyperreflexia - Spasticity
Lower Motor Neuron Damage (where it connects to the muscle)
> Neurons directly innervating muscles are affected
Irritated neurons
- Involuntary muscle contractions called fasciculation (small/local)
Death of neurons
- Spinal reflexes are lost
- Flaccid paralysis
- Denervation atrophy of muscles
Skeletal Muscle Disorders: muscle atrophy & muscular dystrophy
- Muscle Atrophy
- Disuse
- Denervation - Muscular Dystrophy
- Contractile proteins not properly attached to cytoskeleton of muscle cell (muscle issue, not nerve)
Muscular Dystrophy
- Genetic (inherited X-linked recessive trait)
- Primarily males
- 9 major types - Progressive degeneration (protein breakdown) and necrosis of skeletal muscle fibers & tissues
- Sarcoma do not attach properly
- Fat and connective tissue replace it
Note: muscles, not nerves are affected
Muscular Dystrophy: Duchene MD & Becker
- Duchene MD (most common form)
- Recessive X-linked
- Affects 1:3500 male births
- Females usually asymptomatic if carrier (or milder symptoms) - Becker MD
- slower, less severe
- Later in childhood than DMD
MD Presentation
- Boys asymptomatic at birth
- Hips/shoulder muscles often affected first
- Calf muscles hypertrophy (fat/tissue)
- By 2-3 years, abnormal posture, falls, contractures, joint immobility, scoliosis
- Wheelchair by teen years
- Incontinence
Resp: weak cough = resp infections
CVS: cardiomyopathy
MD Diagnosis
- Family history
- Observation of voluntary movement
- Elevated creatine kinase (CK-MM)
- Muscle biopsy
- Echo, ECG
MD Treatment
- Maintain ambulation
- Prevent deformities
- Prevent respiratory infections
- Death in young adulthood common
Disorders of Neuromuscular Junction
- Decreased acetylcholine release
- Decreased acetylcholine effects on muscle cell (receptors are lost)
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Decreased acetylcholinesterase activity resulting too much acetylcholine at neuromuscular junction, also interfering with nerve impulse
Myasthenia Gravis Risk Factors
- Women > Men
- Early adulthood (women)
- 50 years of age for men - Placental transfer from Mom
- 10-15% only, and often spontaneous resolution within months - Thymus tumor or hyperplasia in 75% of cases (unclear connection)
Myasthenia Gravis: autoimmune
- Decreased motor response d/t loss of functional acetylcholine receptors
- Autoimmune
- Gradual destruction of acetylcholine receptors in neuromuscular junction
- Injury to postsynaptic muscle membrane
- Receptor sites degraded and blocked d/t antibody response
MG Manifestations
> Initial: progressive throughout day
- Muscle weakness (periorbital muscles: ptosis, diplopia)
- Fatigue
Progression
- Respiratory muscle weakness, difficulty speaking/chewing/swallowing, weak limbs
> Myasthenia Crisis
- d/t stress, infection, emotional upset, pregnancy, alcohol, cold, surgery, etc.
MG Diagnosis
- History, physical exam
- Acetylcholine receptor blood test
- Electrophysiologic studies to assess stage
MG Treatment
- Corticosteroid (immunosuppressant)
- Thymectomy (if thymoma)
- Plasmapheresis (remove antibodies from the blood)
- IgG IV
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Causes
- Mononeuropathy
- Compression of median nerve passing through carpal bones and ligaments
> Causes: - Inflammation of tendons, synovial swelling, tumor, RA, DM
- Repetitive flexion-extension movements
Carpal Tunnel Manifestations
- Pain, patesthesis
- Numbness of thumb, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and part of 4th digit
Wrist and hand pain, worse at night (unable to clench effectively) - Atrophy of abductor pollicus muscle
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Diagnosis & Treatment
Diagnosis Tinel sign Light percussion over median nerve at wrist Tingling sensation into palm = positive Phalen maneuver Complete flexion x 1 minute Paresthesia = positive Treatment Anti-inflammatories, immobilization
Peripheral Nerve Disorders: Guillain-Barre Syndrome
- Demyelinating polyneuropathy
- Acute onset… Life-threatening!
- Immune-mediated
- Linked to Campylobacter jejuni, cytomegalobvirua, - - Epstein-Barr virus: as influenza like illness often before onset
GB Manifestations
- Progressive/variable
- Ascending muscle weakness/paralysis
(respiratory muscle involvement) - Paresthesia, numbness
- Loss of tendon reflexes
- ANS involvement = postural, hypotension, arrhythmias, flushing, sweating, urinary retention
- Pain common in shoulder, back, posterior thighs