This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Every contraction of skeletal muscle entails the release of acetylcholine (ACh) from the motor nerve terminal, its passage across a submicroscopic space, and combination with the postsynaptic ACh receptors (AChRs), which in turn triggers the events of muscle contraction. This tiny movement of ACh across a 70-nM gap not only is highly complex but is vulnerable to a wide variety of attacks or errors that may cause weakness or paralysis. Some examples include bacteria (8 different botulinum toxins, tetanus toxin), plants (curare), snakes (cobratoxin, bungarotoxin), black widow spiders (latrotoxin), frogs (histrionicotoxin), and, of course, humans (anti-cholinesterase war gases sarin, tabun).
Footnotes
Go to Neurology.org for full disclosures. Funding information and disclosures deemed relevant by the authors, if any, are provided at the end of the editorial.
See page 1976
- © 2014 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
- Re:Neuromuscular junction as Achilles' heel: Yet another autoantibody?
- Neuromuscular junction as Achilles' heel: Yet another autoantibody?
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Costs and Utilization of New-to-Market Neurologic Medications
Dr. Robert J. Fox and Dr. Mandy Leonard