A decline of 25 percent each year in cough peak flow, a test of cough strength and airway clearance, is a predictor of poor survival in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a small study from Japan reports. The study “Cough peak flow decline rate predicts…

Federal healthcare databases, especially Medicare, are a valuable resource in identifying cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the U.S. population, and may help in tracking the prevalence of other neurological diseases as well, a group of researchers report. The study, “Estimation of the Prevalence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in…

The microRNA-218 (miR-218), produced at excessive levels by damaged or dying nerve cells, may be a therapeutic target for  amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an animal study suggests. This molecule was found to disrupt the normal function of astrocytes, star-shaped glial cells found throughout the central nervous system (brain…

A newly developed test, known as the arrows and colors cognitive test, can be used to measure cognition in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients who have severe motor and verbal disabilities. A study about that assessment tool, “The Arrows and Colors Cognitive Test (ACCT): A new verbal-motor free cognitive…

MND Scotland has initiated a clinical trial to test the tolerability and effectiveness of interleukin-2 in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neurone disease (MND). The trial is now recruiting participants. Interleukin-2, which is used for treatment of some rare types of cancer, is…

Researchers developed a computational model able to recognize amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) based on patients’ speech patterns, suggesting it may one day be a non-invasive and low-cost way of evaluating disease severity and likely progression, possibly in a person’s home. The study, by scientists at IBM Thomas…

Drinking alcohol seems to have no influence on the risk of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a large population-based European study suggests. The study, “Association between alcohol exposure and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in the Euro-MOTOR study,” was…

A diminished ability to regulate body temperature may be a manifestation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), results of a mice study suggest. Such a diminishment could be related to problems in controlling the naturally occurring circadian clocks that regulate tissues and organs. The circadian rhythm is an important mechanism that…

MediciNova has completed enrollment for its Phase 1/2 clinical trial testing the investigational therapy MN-166 (ibudilast) in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. The trial (NCT02714036) has enrolled 35 ALS patients who will be treated with 100 mg daily doses (50 mg twice a day) of MN-166. The…

Strong feelings of being sleepy during daytime hours are much more common in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients than the general public, and appear to be associated with poorer cognitive skills and greater behavioral problems, a study from China reports. Its researchers suggested that their findings, if confirmed in larger studies,…