News

The balance between copper isotopes (variants) – but not copper levels – is disrupted in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a recent study. Copper isotope composition potentially may be used as a biomarker of ALS, distinguishing it from other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. The study, “…

Nasal administration of two neuroprotective proteins, called Activin A and SerpinB2, reduced brain damage in a mouse model of stroke, a new study shows. These findings  suggest that nasal delivery of these proteins also may have clinical relevance for neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s and…

Combining structural brain imaging with molecular and clinical biomarkers allows for a detailed assessment of a patient’s clinical state, regardless of age and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis progression, a new study suggests. The study, “Combinatory Biomarker Use of Cortical Thickness, MUNIX, and ALSFRS-R at Baseline and in Longitudinal Courses of…

Stem cell transplants given to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients were safe and feasible whether infused intravenously or via the spinal cord, data from two small Phase 1 trials from Iran show. However, the treatment was not seen to slow disease worsening in efficacy measures studied as secondary trial goals…

Impaired tightening of the pharynx is associated with inefficient swallowing in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study. The study, “Reduced pharyngeal constriction is associated with impaired swallowing efficiency in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS),” appeared in the journal Neurogastroenterology & Motility.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the United Kingdom has granted permission to Tikomed to begin a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of ILB, an investigational therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The trial will take place at…

Treatment with extracts from the Withania somnifera plant improved motor performance and delayed disease progression in mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to researchers. The study, “Protective effects of Withania somnifera extract in SOD1G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” was published in the journal Experimental Neurology. ALS generally develops sporadically, indicating that in…

A decline of 25 percent each year in cough peak flow, a test of cough strength and airway clearance, is a predictor of poor survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a small study from Japan reports. The study “Cough peak flow decline rate predicts…

Federal healthcare databases, especially Medicare, are a valuable resource in identifying cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the U.S. population, and may help in tracking the prevalence of other neurological diseases as well, a group of researchers report. The study, “Estimation of the Prevalence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in…

The microRNA-218 (miR-218), produced at excessive levels by damaged or dying nerve cells, may be a therapeutic target for  amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an animal study suggests. This molecule was found to disrupt the normal function of astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells found throughout the central nervous system (brain…