Gene that causes some cases of familial ALS discovered

Finding could lead to new insight in understanding, treating more common forms of this fatal neurological disease

Using a new gene sequencing method, a team of researchers led by scientists from Johns Hopkins and the National Institutes of Health has discovered a gene that appears to cause some instances of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The finding could lead to novel ways to treat the more common form of this fatal neurodegenerative disease, which kills the vast majority of the nearly 6,000 Americans diagnosed with ALS every year.

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Reports claiming ALS caused by head trauma lacks scientific validation

Editorial sets record straight — Lou Gehrig suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease

A recent study (1) suggesting that amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be attributed to “repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports” lacks scientific epidemiological evidence to support this claim. In a review of the 12-patient study, several experts specializing in motor neuron diseases challenge the findings as entirely pathological and without clinical merit. Their editorial, which aims to dispel doubts of Lou Gehrig’s ALS diagnosis, is now available online in the peer-reviewed journal Muscle & Nerve.

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UMMS researchers identify protein associated with sporadic ALS

Study reveals common link between familial ALS and sporadic ALS

WORCESTER, Mass. – Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have uncovered new evidence suggesting that the SOD1 gene, which is implicated in 20 percent of inherited cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), also plays a part in sporadic forms of the disease. Discovery of this common pathology is described in the October 17 online edition of Nature Neuroscience.

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Preserving nerve cells in motor neuron disease

A team of researchers, led by Scott Oakes, at the University of California, San Francisco, has identified a way to prevent symptom onset, weight loss, and paralysis and extend survival in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS; also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease), providing a new avenue of research for the development of therapeutics for ALS and other motor neuron diseases.

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Neuron-damaging mechanism discovered in mouse model of inherited ALS

New research uncovers what may be a primary neuron-damaging insult that occurs in an inherited form of a devastating neurodegenerative disorder. The study, published by Cell Press in the August 26th issue of the journal Neuron, describes a critical mechanistic link between a mutant protein and disease pathogenesis in an animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

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Boston Univ., Veterans Affairs find sports brain trauma may cause disease mimicking ALS

Boston University and Department of Veterans Affairs researchers discover brain trauma in sports may cause a new disease that mimics ALS

(BOSTON) – The Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CSTE) at Boston University SchooContact:  l of Medicine (BUSM) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that they have provided the first pathological evidence that repetitive head trauma experienced in collision sports is associated with motor neuron disease, a neurological condition that affects voluntary muscle movements. The most common form of motor neuron disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The findings will be published in the September issue of the Journal of Neuropathology and Experimental Neurology (http://journals.lww.com/jneuropath).

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Researchers discover genetic link between both types of ALS

Contact: Marla Paul
marla-paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University Read more

New treatment helps control involuntary crying and laughing — common in MS, ALS patients

Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology Read more

New ALS drug slips through telling ‘phase II’ clinical trials

Contact: Christen Brownlee
cbrownlee@jhmi.edu
410-955-7832
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
A drug already used to treat symptoms of epilepsy has potential to slow the muscle weakening that comes with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), scientists report after completing a Phase II clinical trial—an early, small-scale test to show if the drug works and continues to be safe.

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Tiny molecule slows progression of Lou Gehrig’s disease in mice

Contact: Aline McKenzie
aline.mckenzie@sbcglobal.net
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS – Dec. 10, 2009 – Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a molecule produced naturally by muscles in response to nerve damage can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

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