title: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with IgM antibody against gangliosides GM2 and GD2.
abstract: We report a case of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with IgM antibody against gangliosides GM2 and GD2. A 57-year-old woman presented with slowly progressive muscular weakness of the upper extremities and dysarthria. She fulfilled the clinical and electrophysiological criteria of ALS, and died from sudden suffocation about 3 years after the onset of illness. The patient's serum IgM antibody was shown to recognize the structure shared by GM2 and GD2. Since anti-GM2 antibodies have been implicated in motor neuropathy or motor neuron syndrome, this rare case might contribute to the understanding of the immunological aspects of ALS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Susumu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kusunoki
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaji
authors.forename: Masutaro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Akiguchi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
mesh_terms: D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000276:immunology*; D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D005678:G(M2) Ganglioside / Q000276:immunology*; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005732:Gangliosides; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D005678:G(M2) Ganglioside; C019403:ganglioside, GD2