Abstract
Myasthenia gravis is a relatively rare neurological disease that is associated with loss of the acetylcholine receptors that initiate muscle contraction. This results in muscle weakness, which can be life-threatening. The story of how both the physiological basis of the disease and the role of acetylcholine-receptor-specific antibodies were determined is a classic example of the application of basic science to clinical medicine, and it has provided a model for defining other antibody-mediated disorders of the peripheral and central nervous systems.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the colleagues who have helped to shape my views, particularly J. Newsom-Davis FRS, N. Wilcox, B. Lang and D. Beeson. Equally important are the many others around the world who have made important contributions to the topic; I am sorry that I have not been able to do justice to all of their work. My own research on myasthenia gravis over the past 30 years has been generously funded by the Medical Research Council, the Myasthenia Gravis Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, Action Research and the National Lotteries Charity Board.
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Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome
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Vincent, A. Unravelling the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis. Nat Rev Immunol 2, 797–804 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nri916
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nri916
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