Centronuclear myopathy: possible central nervous system origin.

The authors describe a case of myopathy characterized physically by limb weakness, eyelid ptosis, voluntary and reflex paralysis of vertical movements of gaze, and loss of deep tendon reflexes; and morphologically by the abnormal presence of centrally located nuclei in muscle fibers and type 1 fiber hypotrophy. The establishment in this case study of two particular findings--the probably nuclear or supranuclear ophthalmoplegia and the apparently impaired nuclear migration from the center of the muscle fiber toward its periphery--supports the hypothesis of a neuromuscular disorder whose level of severity depends on the degree of difficulty in the nuclear migration itself. This would be linked to a reduction in central nervous system influence.