Neuromuscular medicine is a subspecialty of
neurology
Neurology (from , "string, nerve" and the suffix wikt:-logia, -logia, "study of") is the branch of specialty (medicine) , medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the nervous syst ...
and
physiatry that focuses the diagnosis and management of
neuromuscular diseases. The field encompasses issues related to both diagnosis and management of these conditions, including rehabilitation interventions to optimize the quality of life of individuals with these conditions.
This field encompasses disorders that impact both adults and children and which can be inherited or acquired, typically from an
autoimmune disease
An autoimmune disease is a condition that results from an anomalous response of the adaptive immune system, wherein it mistakenly targets and attacks healthy, functioning parts of the body as if they were foreign organisms. It is estimated tha ...
. A neurologist or physiatrist can diagnose these diseases through a clinical history, examination, and
electromyography
Electromyography (EMG) is a technique for evaluating and recording the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles. EMG is performed using an instrument called an electromyograph to produce a record called an electromyogram. An electromyo ...
including
nerve conduction studies. Many recent drug therapies have been developed to address the acquired neuromuscular diseases including but not limited to immune suppression and drugs that increase the
neurotransmitter
A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a Chemical synapse, synapse. The cell receiving the signal, or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell.
Neurotra ...
s at the
neuromuscular junction
A neuromuscular junction (or myoneural junction) is a chemical synapse between a motor neuron and a muscle fiber.
It allows the motor neuron to transmit a signal to the muscle fiber, causing muscle contraction.
Muscles require innervation to ...
. Gene modifying therapies are also a recent treatment branch of neuromuscular medicine with advancements made in disorders such as
spinal muscular atrophy and
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting boys. The onset of muscle weakness typically begins around age four, with rapid progression. Initially, muscle loss occurs in the thighs and pe ...
.
Research
The
uscular Dystrophy Associationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscular_Dystrophy_Association) (MDA) engages in research, advocacy, and patient services addressing neuromuscular diseases. The organization supports initiatives aimed at understanding and treating these conditions.
See also
*
List of neuromuscular disorders
*
Muscle
Muscle is a soft tissue, one of the four basic types of animal tissue. There are three types of muscle tissue in vertebrates: skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and smooth muscle. Muscle tissue gives skeletal muscles the ability to muscle contra ...
*
Motor neuron diseases
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neuromuscular medicine
Neurophysiology
Neurology