Tau protein levels are unusually high in the motor cortex of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a mutation in the C9orf72 gene, a study reported. The motor cortex, a part of the cerebral cortex responsible for the planning, control, and implementation of voluntary movement, is the brain region most…

Although not thought common, laryngospasm — the sudden contraction of the vocal cords that makes speaking and breathing temporarily difficult — does affect some with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study reported. Excess saliva irritating the vocal cords was the most notable trigger for laryngospasm in their work, the researchers…

Mutations in the FUS gene, which cause some forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), result in a circular RNA molecule called circ-Hdgfrp3 being pulled into toxic protein clumps that form in nerve cells, according to a study. This is the first time that a circular RNA has been shown…

NP001 slowed functional and lung declines in a subset of middle-aged patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) who had high levels of inflammation, according to an analysis of previous data from Phase 2a and 2b clinical trials. While earlier results failed to show overall…

An experimental antisense oligonucleotide that works to suppress the mutant C9orf72 gene — a cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — safely lowered the production of damaging proteins and other molecules in a patient in a pilot trial. “While other teams have documented that this gene can be suppressed in cells…

During my professional years working in a hospital environment, we had to be familiar with using medical jargon. Some words sounded odd to my nonmedical ears, while others had double meanings. A few favorites I still remember are “idiopathic,” which refers to something with an unknown cause, and “unremarkable,” which…

A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) carrying a mutation in the SOD1 gene showed alterations in the gut microbiome, followed by motor impairments and defects in enteric nervous system — the gut’s own autonomous nervous system — compared with healthy mice, a study found. These microbiome changes occurred…

Eikonoklastes Therapeutics has added a candidate gene therapy for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases to its pipeline. The announcement follows the completion of a licensing agreement with the University of California San Diego. Brian Head, PhD, a professor with the university’s department of anesthesiology, and…

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be grouped into four disease subtypes based on patterns of changes in electrical signals in the brain, researchers have discovered. These findings may be valuable to predict future disability and life expectancy, and may help select the patients more likely to benefit in certain…

Note: This story was updated Jan. 25, 2022, to clarify that Target ALS has raised $90 million since its inception in 2010. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been a part of Daniel Doctoroff’s life for more than two decades. His father, Martin Doctoroff, died of the disease in 2002, and…