title: Acute bulbar, neck and limb weakness with monospecific anti-GT1a antibody: A rare localized subtype of Guillain-Barré syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute bulbar, neck, and limb weakness carries several potential differential diagnoses. Although a diagnosis can often be established clinically, investigations such as electrodiagnostic and antibody testing can provide support for the clinical diagnosis and may aid in understanding the pathogenesis. A 65-year-old woman presented with acute bulbar, neck, and rapidly progressive bilateral upper limb weakness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinical evaluation, electrophysiological, and serological studies were undertaken.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neurophysiology demonstrated proximal conduction block. A clinical diagnosis of pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness, a localized variant of Guillain-Barré syndrome, was made. The patient received treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin and made a remarkable recovery over the next month. She was found to have serum monospecific anti-GT1a antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report a case of pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness with monospecific anti-GT1a antibodies and discuss the differential diagnosis of acute bulbar, neck, and limb weakness.
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yuki
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Susanna B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kiernan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D010244:Bulbar Palsy, Progressive / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005732:Gangliosides / Q000276:immunology*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D018908:Muscle Weakness / Q000209:etiology*; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D005732:Gangliosides; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C084318:GT1aalpha ganglioside
keywords: Guillain-Barré; anti-ganglioside antibodies; clinical neurophysiology; immunology; pharyngeal-cervical-brachial weakness; syndrome