Review of the advances in understanding the pathophysiology of autoimmune disorders in NMJ

Autoimmune disorders of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) are characterized in particular by fatigue and muscle weakness. While there are many immunosuppressive treatments, there is no cure for these disorders and patients must live with crippling muscle weakness.

The pathophysiology of these autoimmune diseases has made great progress thanks to:

• recent advances in understanding the structure and function of NMJ,
• the development of new in vitro« Dans le verre », expériences réalisées en laboratoire en dehors de l’organisme. and in vivoDans le vivant, à l’intérieur de l’organisme. models. .

New therapeutic avenues that can lead to long-term remission or even cure are being considered provided that they are combined in parallel:

• the restoration of the immune imbalance in these diseases,
• symptomatic therapeutic approaches at the JNM level.

Huijbers MG, Marx A, Plomp JJ, Le Panse R, Phillips WD. Advances in the understanding of disease mechanisms of autoimmune neuromuscular junction disorders. Lancet Neurol. 2022 Feb;21(2):163-175. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00357-4. PMID: 35065039.