Congenital Myasthenic Syndromes (CMS) are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders that typically present with muscle weakness in the first decade of life, but often are either undiagnosed for prolonged periods, or misdiagnosed with other conditions, most commonly with seronegative myasthenia gravis.
CMS can be classified as pre-synoptic, synaptic, and post-synaptic depending on the genetic defects affecting proteins at the neuromuscular junction. The course of disease and the response to treatment varies depending on the subtype. The majority of CMS is caused by defects in the post-synaptic proteins, such as DOK7, MUSK, AGRN or LRP4 which are signaling proteins responsible for the development and maintenance of the neuromuscular junction.