9781422280393

What Is a Neuromuscular Disorder?

The muscular system.

in more than one way. For example, the person may have inherited an already damaged gene from a parent. Or the damage could have occurred from a gene mutation at the time of conception. Either way, the damage leaves the gene and the muscles it was intended to control unable to function as originally intended. Muscles are primarily made of proteins. The protein produced by the dystrophin gene is essential for growing healthy muscle tissue. When a gene associated with producing healthy dystrophin is damaged, the damage causes some muscle protein to be missing or incorrectly formed. This affects the health and strength of the muscle. Since the dystrophin gene sends signals to the muscle, a mutation on the dystrophin gene can result in a type of MD. This loss and weakening of muscle tissue will continue to get worse over time, and, unfortunately, the resulting disability will also grow worse.

13