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Myasthenia Gravis

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology

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Synonyms

Autoimmune disorders

Short Description or Definition

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an uncommon autoimmune disorder of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) resulting in skeletal muscle weakness. Disruption of the postsynaptic receptors on the muscle membranes is caused by antibodies to the acetylcholine receptors (AChR), which prevent adequate amounts of acetylcholine from reaching the receptors and thus inhibiting muscle action potential. Abnormalities of thymus are common in MG patients and present as hyperplasia (70%) or thymomas (20%) (Kothari 2004; Romi et al. 2005). MG is characterized by a decrease in ocular, facial, respiratory, pharyngeal, and limb muscle strength that is exacerbated by repeated use of those muscles and generally improves with rest. Symptoms, however, can also fluctuate without apparent reason, and the disease may go into remission spontaneously in 10–20% of all MG patients lasting for years (Thomann and Pandya 1995).

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Romi et...

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References and Readings

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ, USA

    Jane Austin & Pierre A. Leon

Authors
  1. Jane Austin
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  2. Pierre A. Leon
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Correspondence to Jane Austin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Austin, J., Leon, P.A. (2018). Myasthenia Gravis. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_565

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