Steve Bryson, PhD,  science writer—

Constipation, a symptom experienced by about half of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, is associated with a significantly faster disease progression and poorer survival, according to a new study. Constipation was also linked to worse anxiety, depression, and sleep problems, data showed. “Objective assessment of these symptoms is critical…

Living next to arable cropland significantly raises the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study in northwestern Italy. A significantly younger age at disease onset also was seen among those living near such farmland, which may include fields of cereals (wheat and barley), beans,…

The technology company Unlearn is teaming up with APST Research to create “digital twins” to support clinical trials for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Clinical data from more than 8,000 ALS patients in APST’s database will be fed into Unlearn’s Digital Twin Generator (DTG), an artificial intelligence…

Neuvivo’s investigational therapy NP001 (sodium chlorite), designed to dampen inflammation and restore immune system balance, extended survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to an combined analysis of data, spanning up to 11 years, on patients who took part in either of two Phase 2…

Researchers have developed a type of gene therapy that can rescue the function of the TDP-43 protein in diseased nerve cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases while leaving healthy cells untouched. The approach uses problematic sequences called cryptic exons that are only present in cells…

Differences in tear metabolites — the products of metabolism that are found in human tears — in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were able to distinguish bulbar-onset disease, in which symptoms initially affect the face and throat, from spinal-onset ALS, where the first symptoms usually are weakness in…

Researchers detected changes in the production of several immune signaling proteins, called cytokines, in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) — the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord — of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at diagnosis. These changes also correlated with certain clinical characteristics, and how quickly the…

A $22 million federal grant to the Mayo Clinic in Florida will fund a study providing access to the investigational therapy ibudilast (MN-166) for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) across the U.S. The award, by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), will support a…

A computer analysis using real-world data from an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinic identified four groups of patients with distinct rates of disease progression, a new study by researchers in Portugal reported. The findings continue to demonstrate the differences in ALS presentation and progression seen among people with the…

A new genetic mutation that may cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been discovered in families living in La Rioja, a region in Spain, according to a study. The gene mutation, found in 10 ALS patients from seven different families, affected the ARPP21 gene, which encodes a protein that…