Measuring blood levels of neurofilament light chain, or NfL, a biomarker of nerve damage, may help in diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and in predicting the risk of death among people with the neurodegenerative condition, a new study shows. This biomarker showed substantially better accuracy for both ALS diagnosis…

As we head into the new year, I’ve been in decluttering mode. I sorted through my linen closet and discarded worn sheets and pillowcases. I sorted through files and found old tax returns, bank statements, and receipts, and I burned sensitive papers in my mom’s sauna stove. And then I…

My husband, Todd, was diagnosed with ALS in June 2010. That winter, Todd and I, along with our 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son, visited my parents in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. My dad had plowed snow into high banks, and on one large pile next to the house, he had…

It was six years ago last week that my late husband, Jeff, and I sat in a neurologist’s office in Maryland as the doctor said, “I believe that this is ALS.” Moments before, I’d been watching the doctor administer a second electromyography (EMG) on Jeff, who found the procedure…

Blood levels of eight small molecules called microRNAs can accurately distinguish people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) from healthy people or those with other neurodegenerative diseases, a study shows. Its developers believe this so-called “ALS fingerprint,” which has now been validated in multiple groups of people and in different…

Measuring the levels of a novel protein biomarker called C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 — CXCL12 for short — in the spinal fluid may improve the diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by better differentiating it from similar conditions, according to a new study. In particular, the…

It takes courage to reach out to a complete stranger and ask for their help. I know, because I’m that stranger, and the ones seeking my help are people newly diagnosed with ALS. But the good thing is, we’re not strangers for long. That’s because I try to make…

Among the many challenges I experienced during my early months with ALS was the eerie prophecy of a life expectancy of two to five years following diagnosis. Besides putting the brakes on all of my future hopes and dreams, it made my brain feel worthless. I’d ask myself,…

Diamir Biosciences has received a patent in the European Union that covers the use of microRNAs (miRNAs), that is, small noncoding RNA molecules that modulate gene activity, as biomarkers for diagnosing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The patent, “Methods of using miRNAs from bodily fluids for detection and…

Black people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) tend to have a different disease course than white patients; they are diagnosed at a younger age, more commonly have muscle weakness that starts in the hands, and have pneumonia more frequently, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…