Marisa Wexler, MS, senior science writer —

While it’s long been believed that the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord is the main cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), new research suggests that degeneration of motor neurons in the brain takes place independently and may also contribute to the disease. The study’s work in…

An abnormal version of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, may contribute to the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by damaging mitochondria in neurons, according to a new study. The findings suggest that decreasing tau levels might be a new therapeutic strategy to lessen mitochondrial dysfunction in…

Using a new laboratory model of brain cells, researchers demonstrated that cells with mutations associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) show early signs of DNA damage and other forms of cellular stress. Results suggest that blocking these cellular stress processes may hold promise in treating ALS. The study, “…

Tofersen, an experimental treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with mutations in the SOD1 gene, failed to significantly slow the rate of disease progression relative to a placebo in a Phase 3 trial. These top-line findings mean that the VALOR study (NCT02623699), which is testing tofersen in…

A signaling protein called neurturin promotes the development of muscles with greater endurance, leading to better exercise performance and coordination, according to a new mouse study. The results suggest that therapeutic approaches using neurturin — for example, using a gene therapy that encodes the protein — might be useful…

A five-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant worth $2.4 million will support an Emory University researcher’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately and quickly — in real time — decode the electrical signals sent by the brain to control movement. Its ultimate goal is to find ways to “reconnect” the…

A national agency in Norway has given AB Science the go-ahead to resume enrollment in AB19001, a Phase 3 clinical trial investigating the safety and efficacy of the company’s investigational oral therapy masitinib in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). AB had voluntarily suspended recruitment and treatment…

I AM ALS, a nonprofit dedicated to helping people affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is expanding its efforts in scientific research and public policy. The organization’s new Science and Policy program will include three key focuses, according to a press release emailed to ALS News Today.

Defects in cholesterol metabolism may account for some of the neurological damage that occurs in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other diseases marked by problems with the protein TDP-43, a study reported. As cholesterol  is crucial to nerve cells, these results suggest that restoring its metabolism may be a…

Treatment with the investigational oral therapy masitinib can extend lifespan when given early in the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study. “These long-term survival data, with an average follow-up of 75 months since diagnosis, suggest that masitinib can offer a substantial survival benefit…