Feeding Tube Surgery for Advanced ALS May Be Safer with Modified Approach and Risk Analysis

Surgery to insert a feeding tube directly into the stomach of late-stage amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients can be made safer by adapting procedures now in place for high-risk patients, identified with the help of a tool for stratifying patients according to risk. The study, ”A risk stratifying tool to…

Cognitively healthy amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients have brain damage that mirrors their subtype of the disease, researchers have learned, and patients with bulbar-onset ALS have more widespread brain tissue loss — a finding that could explain why the patients fare worse than others. In their study, “Relationship between…

Stephen Hawking is, without a doubt, the most famous person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He’s so incredibly famous for two main reasons: firstly, he’s a brilliant scientist. He’s changed the world’s understanding of space, made history with his papers on the Big Bang Theory and wrote a bestselling book A Brief History…

Researchers have gained new insight into a cell’s mechanism to get rid of faulty molecules that would otherwise contribute to the development of several neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The discovery of this “quality control” mechanism may help in the development of new therapies to prevent neuronal damage…

The European Union’s Joint Programme — Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) invites researchers in 20 countries to work together in conducting and analyzing projects into various neurodegenerative diseases, so that they might identify common links and underlying mechanisms. Such “pathway ” analyses, the JPND said in a release, “could lead…

NFL star Steve Gleason will go down in history in New Orleans for his antics on the football field but his name will also be remembered off the field, for everything he did to raise awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Discover seven interesting facts about ALS. Steve was diagnosed with…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is sometimes known as Lou Gehrig disease after the baseball player who famously suffered from it. Although ALS is a more common disease than we would like it to be, there is still little known about it and many are unaware of the details of the condition. That lack of…

High levels of 25-hydroxycholesterol, a cholesterol-related molecule, may trigger neuronal death and accelerate amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) progression, according to a new study. The finding could lead to new ALS therapies that target the molecule. The study, “25-Hydroxycholesterol Is Involved In The Pathogenesis Of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis,” was published in the…

Low levels of vitamin D, found in the majority of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are linked to more extensive loss of movement, but do not predict the course of disease over a year. Instead, researchers found that taking vitamin D supplements was associated with a faster decline. The study’s…

This video from ALSA Oregon is all about Pam Kofstad and her family. Pam’s health was on the decline for more than a year, starting with the inability to turn her left foot out and often tripping, which led to her being confined to a wheelchair. In April 2015, Pam was diagnosed with amyotrophic…