Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a disease that progressively destroys the nervous system. Over time, the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord die and patients lose the ability to perform daily tasks, such as dressing, feeding, and moving. ALS is caused…
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients with the C9ORF72 mutation are at an unusually high risk of malignant skin cancer and should be monitored for it, a study suggests. The study, “Increased risk of melanoma in C9ORF72…
Loss of C9orf72, a protein whose corresponding gene is among those most often mutated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), causes an imbalance in the metabolism of fats (lipids) in motor neurons, a new study shows. These findings suggest that an imbalance in energy and lipid metabolism…
Health conditions that may lead to a faster metabolism, or higher metabolic rate, may contribute to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a large-scale, population-based study suggests. The study, “Finding diseases associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a total population-based case–control study,” was published in the…
Sensory nerves carrying mutations in the TDP-43 or SOD1 genes — associated with the development of a…
Last updated Jan. 16, 2023, by Teresa Carvalho, MS Fact-checked by Inês Martins, PhD What is Tiglutik for ALS? Tiglutik (riluzole oral suspension) is a liquid formulation of riluzole approved for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It can be taken orally or administered through a feeding tube…
Mutations that affect a particular molecular pathway essential to protein production further support reports of a link between amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The study detailing this finding, “The neurodegenerative diseases ALS and SMA are linked at the molecular level via the ASC-1 complex,”…
A gene therapy effectively and safely lowered the production of a key amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) protein called superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in primates, according to a new study. “This level of silencing, coupled with the lack of adverse effects, suggests that this approach to treating ALS should be…
Specific proteins analyzed in cerebral spinal fluid and blood samples may help to diagnose amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and predict patient outcomes, researchers report. Cerebral spinal fluid (CFS) protein patterns helped to identify 94% of ALS patients in their study, and the levels of three specific proteins were seen to…
While genetics alone do not cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a large number of genetic mutations have been associated with the neurodegenerative disease. Such mutations can increase a person’s risk of developing ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, which affects motor neurons, the nerve cells that…
