News

Repeated head injury can cause brain inflammation that triggers the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a condition that has been linked to several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The study, “Microglial neuroinflammation contributes to tau accumulation in chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” was published in the…

A report in the journal Experimental Neurobiology reviewed the role of astrocytes (cells that support and protect neurons) and microglia (immune system cells in the brain) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The authors, from the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System; the Department of Neurology at Boston University School of Medicine;…

Smoking contributes to disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and decreases patient survival by about two years regardless of age, gender, or other disease modifiers such as respiratory function, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and ALS-associated gene mutations, according to new research. These findings suggest that neurologists should advise…

Advanced neuroimaging techniques and neuropsychological evaluations of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) recently confirmed the existence of a unique micro-structural brain degeneration pattern that contributes to memory loss, according to a study conducted by an international research team that included a group from Baylor College of Medicine. The report, “…

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables may be associated with better function, including respiratory, in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study. The study, “Association Between Dietary Intake and Function in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis”, was published in the journal JAMA Neurology. “There is growing interest in…

Regenerative medicine investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to test a novel combination stem cell-gene therapy they’ve developed to stall amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression. Enrollment in the trial is expected to commence soon. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is…

A mutation, causing an inherited type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), kills motor neurons by giving the protein it produces toxic properties. This protein, which normally binds to RNA, disrupts all RNA processing in the neurons to effectively take away their ability to survive. The study, “Protein-RNA Networks…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with cognitive difficulties show brain damage in areas important to thinking, a finding that may explain why such patients deteriorate more rapidly. The study, “Structural explanation of poor prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the non-demented state,” published in the European Journal of Neurology, also supports…

Researchers in a recent amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) study found that patients had problems reading negative emotions in other people because of changed activity in brain regions associated with emotional recognition. Conversely, patients with more frequent social contacts were able to neurologically compensate. The study, “Perception of emotional facial expressions in amyotrophic…

Cytokinetics has enrolled the first patient in the VIGOR-ALS extension trial (NCT02936635), which will assess the effects of tirasemtiv in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who participated in the Phase 3 VITALITY-ALS (NCT02496767) study. Tirasemtiv is a novel skeletal muscle activator that triggers the muscle troponin complex, increasing…