Myasthenia Gravis (MG)

In recognition of June being National Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month, Quest News Online is examining the disease from several perspectives. This article offers an overview of signs, symptoms, diagnosis and treatments for myasthenia gravis (MG), as well as some drugs for people with MG to avoid.

In December 2009, MDA awarded $21 million in new research grants for neuromuscular disease research.

MDA's Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Medical Advisory Committee (MAC) meet each fall and spring to review applications for research grants. Applications are scored on the basis of the capabilities of the applicant, the scientific merit of the project, and the proposal's relevance to developing treatments for the diseases in MDA's program. MDA's Board of Directors then reviews the recommendations of the MAC and SAC.

Stepped-up production of fragments of acetylcholine receptors, the microscopic "landing pads" on muscle fibers that normally help process signals from the nervous system, may provoke the immune system and worsen myasthenia gravis (MG), new research shows.

In mice with an MG-like disease, these receptor fragments (which are proteins) are abundant but nonfunctional, and they end up in the wrong place in muscle fibers.

Stepped-up production of fragments of acetylcholine receptors, the microscopic "landing pads" on muscle fibers that normally help process signals from the nervous system, may provoke the immune system and worsen myasthenia gravis (MG), new research shows.

In mice with an MG-like disease, these receptor fragments (which are proteins) are abundant but nonfunctional, and they end up in the wrong place in muscle fibers.

Some interesting findings about prednisone’s effect on behavior in DMD, and on drugs that may alter its usage in myasthenia gravis, were part of the 61st annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), held recently in Seattle.

DMD STUDY

Daily prednisone led to better behavior than weekly, high-dose prednisone