ALS Pathophysiology

WHY IT MATTERS

Understanding what actually triggers ALS is essential for developing treatments that address the root cause rather than just the symptoms, which could eventually lead to better ways to slow or stop the disease.

Scientists are still trying to understand exactly what causes ALS (a disease that weakens muscles over time). Researchers have identified many different problems that happen in the brains of people with ALS—like too much of a chemical called glutamate, broken energy-producing parts of cells, and inflammation—but they don't yet know which problem starts the disease or in what order these problems happen.

ALS has been called a disease of “glutamate excitotoxicity,” “mitochondrial dysfunction,” “proteinopathy,” “neuroinflammation,” “multisystemic proteostatic failure,” “corticospinal network hyperexcitability,” and more. While none would be incorrect, a standalone definition is elusive, since the science is far from settled as to the original triggers of ALS, and sequence of events from initial insult to motor neuron death. The post ALS Pathophysiology appeared first on ALS News Today .