Acute Severe Animal Model of Anti–Muscle-Specific Kinase Myasthenia: Combined Postsynaptic and Presynaptic Changes

DP Richman, K Nishi, SW Morell, JM Chang… - Archives of …, 2012 - jamanetwork.com
Objectives To determine the pathogenesis of anti–muscle-specific kinase (MuSK)
myasthenia, a newly described severe form of myasthenia gravis associated with MuSK
antibodies characterized by focal muscle weakness and wasting and absence of
acetylcholine receptor antibodies, and to determine whether antibodies to MuSK, a crucial
protein in the formation of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) during development, can
induce disease in the mature NMJ. Design, Setting, and Participants Lewis rats were …