Open AccessMultifocal Motor Neuropathy with Persistent Conduction Block: The Seminal Case
Author(s) -
François Ochsner,
Laurent Tatu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
european neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.573
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1421-9913
pISSN - 0014-3022
DOI - 10.1159/000511732
Subject(s) - multifocal motor neuropathy , fasciculation , mismatch negativity , myokymia , context (archaeology) , medicine , motor neurone disease , physical medicine and rehabilitation , weakness , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , psychology , neuroscience , audiology , electromyography , disease , surgery , pathology , paleontology , electroencephalography , biology
Although multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) is now recognized as a distinct, albeit rare, neurological condition, the path to its recognition was long and winding. This article provides an insight into the medical history of MMN “patient zero” and the first scientific publication that led to the recognition of MMN by the medical community. Multifocal motor neuropathy is nowadays recognized as a disease that produces asymmetric muscle weakness and cramping, with spontaneous motor unit activity (fasciculations and myokymia) but without sensory disorder. From an electrophysiological point of view, the neuropathy is characterized by persistent conduction blocks that usually initially affect the proximal upper extremity. The path to recognizing this rare entity was long and winding. In this article, we describe the first known patient suffering from this disease and the scientific context of its emergence, leading to the first publication on the subject, written by Gérard Roth (1923–2006) and his colleagues at the Neurology Department of Geneva University Hospital (Switzerland) [Eur Neurol. 1986;25(6):416–23].