[Monomelic amyotrophy]. / Monomelicheskaya amiotrofiya.

Monomelic amyotrophy, also known as Hirayama disease, is a rare neurological disorder characterized by focal and latent onset of upper limb weakness and atrophy in the absence of sensory deficits, bulbar or pyramidal signs. It usually occurs in young patients. The disease usually begins unnoticeably and progresses slowly, and can manifest itself as unilateral or asymmetrical weakness, as well as atrophy of the distal upper limb. Sensory disturbances, reflex changes and signs of lesions of lower motor neurons are rare. This article describes a case of a patient with complaints of weakness not only in the upper but also in the lower extremities.

Recovery of mouse neuromuscular junctions from single and repeated injections of botulinum neurotoxin A.

Botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT/A) paralyses muscles by blocking acetylcholine (ACh) release from motor nerve terminals. Although highly toxic, it is used clinically to weaken muscles whose contraction is undesirable, as in dystonias. The effects of an injection of BoNT/A wear off after 3-4 months so repeated injections are often used. Recovery of neuromuscular transmission is accompanied by the formation of motor axon sprouts, some of which form new synaptic contacts. However, the functional importance of these new contacts is unknown. Using intracellular and focal extracellular recording we show that in the mouse epitrochleoanconeus (ETA), quantal release from the region of the original neuromuscular junction (NMJ) can be detected as soon as from new synaptic contacts, and generally accounts for > 80% of total release. During recovery the synaptic delay and the rise and decay times of endplate potentials (EPPs) become prolonged approximately 3-fold, but return to normal after 2-3 months. When studied after 3-4 months, the response to repetitive stimulation at frequencies up to 100 Hz is normal. When two or three injections of BoNT/A are given at intervals of 3-4 months, quantal release returns to normal values more slowly than after a single injection (11 and 15 weeks to reach 50% of control values versus 6 weeks after a single injection). In addition, branching of the intramuscular muscular motor axons, the distribution of the NMJs and the structure of many individual NMJs remain abnormal. These findings highlight the plasticity of the mammalian NMJ but also suggest important limits to it.