Putting Brains in Muscles

Towards an Accessible Web-Based Health Education Platform on Neuromuscular Diseases

Public Guidance

Introduction of Neuromuscular Diseases

Neuromuscular disorders include a large range of diseases affecting the skeletal/voluntary muscle (muscle that we can control) function either directly related to muscle pathologies or indirectly related to problems with the nerves or the neuromuscular junctions. Voluntary movements of skeletal muscles are brought out by electrical signals from the brain. The signals first travel down from the brain via upper motor neurons to the spinal cord where they are further transported to the lower motor neurons. The lower motor neurons will send their axonal processes in the peripheral nerves in our limbs in which the electrical signals are further transmitted down to end of the nerves causing release of special chemicals into the neuromuscular junctions. These chemicals are then taken up by receptors in the muscles and the muscles will contract to produce the wanted movements. The peripheral nerves also contain sensory neurons which carry the information received from the environment via senses like touch, pain, temperature etc. in the form of internal electric signals and bring them back to the brain via the spinal cord.