Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 26, 2026

Measuring Caenorhabditis elegans Sensitivity to the Acetylcholine Receptor Agonist Levamisole
Published on: June 7, 2022
False-positive acetylcholine receptor antibody results in patients without myasthenia gravis
Paul Maddison1, Girija Sadalage1, Philip Alexander Ambrose1
1Department of Clinical Neurology, Queen's Medical Centre, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.
Abstract:
Acetylcholine receptor antibodies are very specific for myasthenia. During a large prospective cohort study of myasthenia, we encountered five patients, positive for acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies by radioimmunoprecipitation assay (RIA), whose clinical course revealed diagnoses other than myasthenia. Two patients had transiently raised AChR antibodies associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome. Antibodies to clustered AChRs, in a live cell-based assay, were negative in all five patients, suggesting that results from the RIAs were false-positives. It is possible that the AChR antibodies detected by RIA in these cases were non-pathogenic, and directed to intracellular epitopes of the AChR.
Related Concept Videos
Myasthenia Gravis: Overview and Treatment
These antibodies interfere with the function of the nicotinic receptors in three ways: by binding to the receptor and disrupting acetylcholine binding; by causing cross-linking of receptors which...
Myasthenia Gravis: Diagnostic Tests
The edrophonium test is a diagnostic tool for myasthenia gravis. It involves...
False Memories
One primary source of false memories is misattribution, where individuals incorrectly associate external information...
Position-effect Variegation
Internal Receptors
Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...

