I need the following questions answered based on a patient with myasthenia gravis.
1) Define the motor unit. What do twitch, summation and tetanus in normal muscle contraction mean?
2) Repetitive electromyography testing involves stimulation of a nerve six to ten times at 2 to 3 Hertz. Describe the differences in the End-Plate Potential (EPP) that can be generated in the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) of a normal and a myasthenia gravis patient in response to repetitive stimulation.
3) Explain why the patient with myasthenia gravis cannot generate consistent action potentials in the muscle fiber.
4)What result would this failure to generate consistent action potentials mean in terms of summation and tetanus in the muscle fiber of the patient with myasthenia gravis?
5) Our patient is treated with pyridostigmine-what does this drug do and how would it benefit our patient?
6) What other therapy might help our patient?