When Leah Stavenhagen was 27, she was living in Paris and traveling through Europe. But an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis forced her to give up her job as a consultant with Ernst & Young and dashed her dreams of continuing to work abroad. At the time, she seemed…

I spent most of my life following daily habits and routines that shaped my perspective about how life ought to be. When ALS appeared, it brought change and created imaginary roadblocks in my mind. I didn’t want things to change, to learn new habits, or to adapt to my…

Recently, a journalist and author from New York contacted me about a book he’s working on. His theme is the role that humor plays in helping people cope with a wide variety of diseases, disabilities, and physical conditions. He wanted to include my ALS-related experiences, and I gladly agreed to…

An abnormal version of tau, a protein associated with Alzheimer’s disease, may contribute to the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by damaging mitochondria in neurons, according to a new study. The findings suggest that decreasing tau levels might be a new therapeutic strategy to lessen mitochondrial dysfunction in…

Recent findings and ongoing efforts to more fully understand the underlying molecular mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and to identify new and better ways of helping patients were discussed at the 11th Annual Les Turner Symposium on ALS. The daylong event, held virtually Nov. 1, was sponsored by the …

Once a first-round draft pick for the Atlanta Falcons, Tim Green now is battling another opponent — amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The disease has left him unable to walk, speak, eat, drink, or breathe on his own, but he hasn’t let it obscure his positive outlook on life. “I…

The burden of caregiving is heavier for people who are anxious and reasonably knowledgeable about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a study of patients and their caregivers in China suggests. The study, “Caregiver burden and associated factors among primary caregivers of patients with ALS in home care:…

A small open-label study evaluating the epilepsy medication perampanel in adults with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was halted due to adverse events that affected behavior. Despite the findings, larger clinical trials investigating perampanel in ALS patients are ongoing, which might determine if the medication contributed to behavioral side effects. The…

AC Immune has extended its research collaboration with scientists at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) working to uncover how TDP-43 protein clumps contribute to different disease manifestations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the partnership’s first two years, researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at UPenn received…

CNM-Au8, an investigational disease-modifying therapy for people with early amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), failed to prevent motor neurons loss and lung function decline relative to a placebo, according to top-line data from the RESCUE-ALS Phase 2 clinical trial. The trial, in other words, did not meet its primary…