1 sign of ALS may be detected up to 15 years before diagnosis

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…

It takes real courage to face our fears, especially when those fears are tied to the daily challenges of living with ALS. Simply telling someone about what scares us — and knowing they have our back — goes a long way toward building confidence. That is why this month’s…

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,…

This week I visited Oklahoma City for the first time. Ever since I met my late husband, Jeff, who died from ALS in 2020, I had wanted to go. It was a meaningful place to him; in 1995, he served as part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms…

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…

In more than 16 years of living with my husband Todd’s ALS, I’ve fought a lot of battles, and I’ve won a few. When Todd was prescribed at-home physical therapy, he was also eligible for home health aides to assist with showering. I pressed the agency to give…

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…

Specialized multidisciplinary care was associated with longer survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study found. The benefit was particularly notable among people with limb-onset, or spinal-onset, ALS, whose symptoms typically begin in the limbs. Median survival from symptom onset without invasive ventilation was 44 months with…