Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute, post-infectious autoimmune neuropathy characterized by rapid-onset muscle weakness. In GBS, the immune system mistakenly targets and destroys the myelin sheath of peripheral motor neurones, which are formed by Schwann cells.
Describe how the body’s immune system mistakenly initiates and executes an attack on the myelin sheath or Schwann cells in GBS.
Describe how myelination normally increases the speed of nerve impulse propagation along a peripheral motor neurone, and explain why the demyelination observed in GBS leads to a significantly reduced conduction velocity.
Suggest and describe how a reduced frequency of nerve impulses reaching the presynaptic terminal of a neuromuscular junction (NMJ) affects chemical transmission across the cleft and subsequent muscle contraction in GBS patients.
