ALS Overview
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, meaning nerve and brain cells deteriorate and cause a gradual loss of motor neurons. This leads to the inability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movements. Symptoms may start with difficulty swallowing or speaking, but will eventually progress to extreme muscle weakness, paralysis, and ultimately respiratory failure. The pathology of ALS involves the degeneration of motor neurons. There are many causes of neuronal damage including abnormal protein aggregation or mutations, oxidative stress, glutamate toxicity, and inflammation of neurons. Read More...