Neuromuscular Junction in Myasthenia Gravis: Decreased Acetylcholine Receptors

The number of acetylcholine receptors was determined in the neuromuscular junctions of eight patients with typical myasthenia gravis and in five controls, by means of 1251-labeled α-bungarotoxin binding. The junctional acetylcholine receptors were reduced in the myasthenic muscles as compared with the controls. This reduction in receptors may account for the defect in neuromuscular transmission in myasthenia gravis.

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