Editing Neuromyotonia (section)

== Causes ==
The three causes of NMT are:{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
# Acquired
# [[Paraneoplastic syndrome|Paraneoplastic]]
# Hereditary

The acquired form is the most common, accounting for up to 80 percent of all cases and is suspected to be autoimmune-mediated, which is usually caused by [[antibody|antibodies]] against the [[neuromuscular junction]].

The exact cause is unknown. However, autoreactive antibodies can be detected in a variety of peripheral (e.g. [[myasthenia gravis]], [[Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome]]) and central nervous system (e.g. [[paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration]], [[paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis]]) disorders. Their causative role has been established in some of these diseases but not all. Neuromyotonia is considered to be one of these with accumulating evidence for [[autoimmune disorder|autoimmune origin]] over the last few years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neuromyotonia |url=https://www.autoimmuneregistry.org/neuromyotonia |access-date=June 14, 2022 |website=Autoimmune Registry Inc.}}</ref> Autoimmune neuromyotonia is typically caused by antibodies that bind to [[potassium channels]] on the [[motor nerve]] resulting in continuous/hyper-excitability.  Onset is typically seen between the ages of 15–60, with most experiencing symptoms before the age of 40.<ref name="NINDS" /> Some neuromyotonia cases do not only improve after [[blood plasma|plasma]] exchange but they may also have antibodies in their [[blood plasma|serum]] samples against [[voltage-gated potassium channel]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Maddison P |title=Neuromyotonia |journal=Clinical Neurophysiology |volume=117 |issue=10 |pages=2118–27 |year=2006 |pmid=16843723 |doi=10.1016/j.clinph.2006.03.008|s2cid=235331553 }}</ref> Moreover, these antibodies have been demonstrated to reduce potassium channel function in neuronal cell lines.

It is suspected that the peripheral nerve hyperexcitability associated with Isaacs' and Morvan's syndromes is a result of a potassium channel defect in the motor nerve membrane.<ref name="NBK482461" />