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Combining spinal fluid biomarkers associated with Alzheimer’s disease with levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve damage, may improve the diagnosis of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and predict their long-term outcomes, a study suggests. For example, people with ALS who test positive for the…

Scientists have been searching for a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for more than a century, and they are making faster progress than ever before in today’s collaborative research environment, according to Daragh Heitzman, MD, director of the ALS Clinic at Texas Neurology in Dallas. Heitzman, who…

Tongue exercise may help surviving nerve cells compensate for damage associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a new study in rats suggests. Nicole Nichols, PhD, the study’s senior author at the University of Missouri, said the findings may lead to treatments that help preserve tongue function in people with…

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) associated with mutations in the SOD1 gene, a protein called S100A6 may contribute to the buildup of toxic protein clumps by interfering with their removal, a study in mouse and cell models suggests. Researchers found increased expression of the S100a6 gene in mouse models…

Blood tests measuring levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a biomarker of nerve damage, may help identify people who eventually develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) more than a decade in advance, according to a new study. Elevated levels of NfL — a protein that provides structural support…

Clene Nanomedicine has submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking accelerated approval of its experimental oral therapy CNM-Au8 for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The new drug application (NDA), submitted earlier this month, is supported mainly by clinical data suggesting that CNM-Au8…

The ALS Association has launched a nationwide campaign to help people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) fight insurance denials that delay or prevent access to prescribed treatments, medical equipment, and care. The initiative also aims to push for lasting changes in insurance policies. Called We Are Undeniable,…

A wearable robotic device called the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) can improve walking ability in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and it may also help to preserve quality of life for patients, a new study from Japan shows. Notably, however, findings suggest that walking improvements with the…

It may be possible to diagnose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in part by measuring the amounts of proteins in the tears of a person thought to have the progressive neurological disease. That’s according to a new study from Germany that found that quantifying levels of chitinases, a family of…

Lily Sander will never forget what it was like to meet other people with neuromuscular diseases the first time she attended Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Summer Camp. Living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Sander had met only one or two other people with neuromuscular diseases in her city. She was…