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The thymus and myasthenia gravis: immunological and neurophysiological aspects
P B Carrieri1, E Marano, A Perretti
1Department of Neurological Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy. carrieri@unina.it
Annals of Medicine
|November 26, 1999
Abstract:
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder, in which end-plate membrane damage is induced by antibodies directed toward various epitopes of the main immunogenic region of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). This article reviews the mechanisms responsible for the development of MG. Recent investigations into the roles of the thymus, antibodies against AChR, cytokines, and neuromuscular transmission have given new insight into the pathogenesis of MG. These new advances have led to a better understanding of the immune mechanisms in MG and have opened new therapeutic horizons.