Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually lead to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed.

As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they require to function, the muscles begin to atrophy (become smaller). Limbs begin to look "thinner" as muscle tissue atrophies.

While there is no known cure for ALS, Riluzole, an anti-excitotoxic agent that inhibits the release of glutamate at pre-synaptic terminals, is the only FDA approved agent for treatment of ALS. However, several other drugs in current studies hold promise. We are conducting some interesting and important scientific studies in this important area of medicine and are looking for participants.  Please consider signing up for a trial and contributing to the discovery of a treatment for this serious disease.

http://www.alsa.org/