Cognitive impairment may present an obstacle for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using brain-computer interface devices, according to a study published in the Journal of Neural Engineering. The findings underscore the importance of considering disease heterogeneity when designing these potentially beneficial devices for clinical use. The study, “Performance…

Researchers have, for the first time, managed to selectively alter gene expression in brain motor neurons of mice modeling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) without affecting other neurons in the motor cortex. The results are a major step forward in efforts to develop gene replacement therapy for ALS. “The brain is…

Last week’s hot topic on ALS was the ALS Stem Cell Therapy that Showed Safety and Efficacy in Early Clinical Trials written by Magdalena Kegel.  The article refers to new and potentially promising results from its clinical investigations of NSI-566 — human spinal cord  derived neural stem cells for the treatment of conditions…

Biopharmaceutical company Neuralstem presented new and potentially promising results from its clinical investigations of NSI-566 — human spinal cord-derived neural stem cells for the treatment of conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — at the recent Phacilitate Cell & Gene Therapy World conference in Washington, D.C. Karl Johe, the company’s chairman and chief scientific officer, reported that two clinical trials…

A report from the Boston University School of Public Health shows that Gulf War Illness is a result of exposure to pesticides and other toxins used in the Gulf War. The report also notes that in addition to Gulf War Illness, deployed Gulf War veterans suffer higher rates of stroke, brain cancer and…

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that nine researchers are the winners of the 2015 ALS Research Program (ALSRP), which aims to improve treatment and find a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by funding preclinical research into the disease. The winners were announced in a press release by the ALS…

Entrepreneur Kevin Gosnell announced the launch of ALS ONE – a partner organization of the ALS Association and ALS Finding a Cure that aims to bring world-leading experts in neurology and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) care together to realize an ambitious goal: finding a new ALS treatment within four years.

CIRM has funded the ALS Disease Team led by scientists at UC San Diego, The Salk Institute, and Life Technologies Corporation, who aim to bring a human embryonic stem cell-based ALS therapy to clinical trials within four years. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is…

A recent review summarized the effects of immune system dysregulation and neuroinflammation in the regulation of critical pathways associated with depression and other brain disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The researchers specifically focused on extracellular vesicles (EVs) as potential biomarkers and drug delivery vehicles. The review, “Neuroinflammation and Depression: Microglia Activation, Extracellular Microvesicles…

The ratio of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) to glutamate is related to disease duration in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a finding that supports the notion of glutamate toxicity as a contributing factor in ALS pathology. Earlier studies have indicated that the neurotransmitter glutamate is involved in ALS. People with sporadic ALS…