Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis News and Research

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Antiepileptic drug reduces early signs of clinical dysfunction in people with ALS

The antiepileptic drug ezogabine reduced pathologic excitability of cortical and spinal motor neuron cells that are early signs of clinical dysfunction in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a study conducted by the Neurological Clinical Research Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital.

10 Dec 2020

Study reveals new biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease causing a rapid loss of motor function, which usually results in a serious condition with early death within a few years.

9 Dec 2020

Free radicals may be important for the brain to remain adaptable

Reactive oxygen molecules, also known as "free radicals", are generally considered harmful. However as it now turns out, they control cellular processes, which are important for the brain's ability to adapt - at least in mice.

5 Dec 2020

Study finds surprising link between ALS, FTD and Huntington's disease-associated mutation

A study led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health has made a surprising connection between frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), two disorders of the nervous system, and the genetic mutation normally understood to cause Huntington's disease.

5 Dec 2020

Novel ALS study effectively visualizes neuroinflammation

A novel ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) study has pooled data from multiple sites to effectively visualize neuroinflammation, which is key to developing drugs to treat the disease.

2 Dec 2020

Experimental drug can reverse age-related memory decline in mice

Just a few doses of an experimental drug can reverse age-related declines in memory and mental flexibility in mice, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists.

1 Dec 2020

New drug lures stem cells to damaged tissue, improves treatment efficacy

Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have created a drug that can lure stem cells to damaged tissue and improve treatment efficacy--a scientific first and major advance for the field of regenerative medicine.

25 Nov 2020

Researchers discover mechanism by which abnormal proteins unleash toxicity in neurodegenerative diseases

Thanks to modern medicine, humans tend to live much longer than before. Unfortunately, this also opens a wider window to develop chronic diseases with late onset, such as neurodegenerative diseases.

23 Nov 2020

Research on genetic heart disease uncovers new mechanism for heart failure

Research on genetic heart disease has uncovered a new and unexpected mechanism for heart failure. This landmark discovery found a correlation between the clumping of RNA-binding proteins long linked to neurodegenerative disease and the aggregates of protein found in the heart tissue of patients with RBM20 dilated cardiomyopathy.

19 Nov 2020

Fatal chain reaction in Alzheimer's disease starts much earlier than commonly assumed

Alzheimer's disease develops over decades. It begins with a fatal chain reaction in which masses of misfolded beta-amyloid proteins are produced that in the end literally flood the brain.

18 Nov 2020

New strategy shows promises for treating RNA-repeat expansion disorders

A new strategy for treating a variety of diseases known as RNA-repeat expansion disorders, which affect millions of people, has shown promise in proof-of-principle tests conducted by scientists at Scripps Research.

8 Nov 2020

Novel device can benefit patients with upper limb paralysis

A tiny device the size of a small paperclip has been shown to help patients with upper limb paralysis to text, email and even shop online in the first human trial.

29 Oct 2020

Brain-computer interface enables patients with severe paralysis to resume daily tasks

Researchers demonstrated the success of a fully implantable wireless medical device, the Stentrode™ brain-computer interface (BCI), designed to allow patients with severe paralysis to resume daily tasks -- including texting, emailing, shopping and banking online -- without the need for open brain surgery.

28 Oct 2020

Mayo clinic researchers develop a potential test for Machado-Joseph disease

Mayo Clinic researchers, along with national and global collaborators, have developed a potential test for Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) ? a disease that has no cure.

22 Oct 2020

Experimental ALS drug shows potential to prolong patient survival

An experimental medication that was recently shown to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, has now demonstrated the potential to also prolong patient survival.

16 Oct 2020

Neurobiologists decode central mechanism of degenerative processes in brains of mouse models

Heidelberg neurobiologists decode central mechanism of degenerative processes in the brains of mouse models and develop new principle for therapeutic agents

9 Oct 2020

Berlin researchers are pursuing the development of passive vaccination

Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have identified highly effective antibodies against the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and are now pursuing the development of a passive vaccination.

25 Sep 2020