Motor Neuron Disease News and Research

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Study shows how RNA splicing errors may trigger development of ALS, FTD

The most frequent genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD)- rare and related neurological disorders marked by progressive deterioration of motor or cognitive abilities- may be due to errors in RNA splicing, an intermediary step for translating genetic instructions into functional proteins.

14 Jun 2017

Putting in place an A-team of allies

Earlier this year, 30 senior citizens convened in a living room to talk about growing older and needing more help.

1 Jun 2017

New gene variant linked to Lou Gehrig's disease

For the first time, a variant in UBQLN4 gene has been associated with Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a progressive disease resulting in the loss of nerve cells that control muscle movement, which eventually leads to paralysis and death.

15 May 2017

Researchers discover CTE in deceased patient's brain with no known history of head trauma

Researchers at Toronto Western Hospital's Canadian Concussion Centre have discovered the presence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of a deceased patient with no known history of traumatic brain injury or concussion, the first known case of its kind.

2 Mar 2017

Duke researchers discover potential cause for ALS syndromes using mouse models

A team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center led by Dr. Paulo Ferreira and whose work was supported by the National Institutes of Health has found that derailing the transport of certain receptors that carry cargoes from and to the nucleus of motor neurons causes motor neuron disease in mice.

1 Mar 2017

New test could accelerate development of better treatments for Motor Neuron Disease

A cutting-edge test developed in South Australia has the potential to expedite the worldwide quest to develop better treatments, or even a cure, for the Motor Neuron Disease (MND).

24 Feb 2017

New technology enables “completely locked-in” patients to communicate

A brain─computer interface has enabled people with “locked-in” syndrome to communicate, according to trial results published in PLOS Biology. The device was able to decipher the thoughts of four patients who were unable to speak, move or blink and relay “yes” or “no” answers to basic questions.

2 Feb 2017

Brain-computer interface could revolutionize lives of people with completely locked-in syndrome

A computer interface that can decipher the thoughts of people who are unable to communicate could revolutionize the lives of those living with completely locked-in syndrome, according to a new paper publishing January 31st, 2017 in PLOS Biology.

1 Feb 2017

Orphan Disease Center establishes new initiative that focuses on ALS

The Orphan Disease Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has established a new Program of Excellence for Motor Neuron Disease.

10 Jan 2017

CSHL researcher-inventor hails FDA approval of new SMA drug

Within a week of Christmas day, a drug called nusinersen will be in the hands of doctors across the nation, who will use it, most urgently, to treat young children with a severe and potentially fatal illness called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

26 Dec 2016

Scientists uncover novel sites of expression in the brain for gene linked to ALS and FTD

For the first time novel expression sites in the brain have been identified for a gene which is associated with Motor Neuron Disease and Frontotemporal Dementia.

1 Aug 2016

Researchers explore how ALS develops from muscle perspective

In an effort to better understand what happens during Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), researchers at Umea University in Sweden have compared the impact of ALS on the eye and limb muscles.

3 Jun 2016

Small peptide TAxI holds promise for carrying biologic drugs into spinal cord

A small peptide dubbed TAxI is living up to its name. Recent studies show it to be an effective vehicle for shuttling functional proteins, such as active enzymes, into the spinal cord after a muscle injection.

17 Feb 2016

Professor Hawking to open inaugural Cambridge Rare Disease Summit on 14 September, 2015

Professor Hawking was famously diagnosed with the rare motor neuron disease at 21, and was told science had no answers. He has of course gone on to live a long and productive life, and the Cambridge Rare Disease Summit will discuss how to make this a reality for the 3.5 million other Britons who live with a rare disease.

11 Sep 2015

New fly model developed to study motor neuron degeneration

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and University of Massachusetts Medical School in the United States have developed a new model to study motor neuron degeneration and have used this to identify three genes involved in the neurodegeneration process. These findings could have relevance for understanding the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other forms of motor neuron disease (MND).

7 Aug 2015

Key differences identified among patients with ALS

Researchers on Mayo Clinic's Florida campus have identified key differences between patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) and those with the most common genetic form of ALS, a mutation in the C9orf72 gene.

21 Jul 2015

UCL research opens up new way to treat neurological disorders

The way that tetanus neurotoxin enters nerve cells has been discovered by UCL scientists, who showed that this process can be blocked, offering a potential therapeutic intervention for tetanus. This newly-discovered pathway could be exploited to deliver therapies to the nervous system, opening up a whole new way to treat neurological disorders such as motor neuron disease and peripheral neuropathies.

28 Nov 2014

Cedars-Sinai to participate in a consortium studying motor neuron disorders

Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute have received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to participate in a consortium taking the study of motor neuron disorders - such as Lou Gehrig's disease and spinal muscular atrophy - to a new, comprehensive perspective.

26 Sep 2014

New study sheds light on longstanding question about role of mitochondria in motor neuron diseases

A new study by researchers at the University of Utah School of Medicine sheds light on a longstanding question about the role of mitochondria in debilitating and fatal motor neuron diseases and resulted in a new mouse model to study such illnesses.

22 Sep 2014

Using iPS technology researchers develop new therapies for Parkinson's disease and ALS

Dresden. Dr. Jared Sterneckert is entering the research area "Neurodegenerative Diseases" of the DFG Research Center and Cluster of Excellence at the TU Dresden as a new junior group leader. Since 2006, he has led a team working at the "Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine" in Münster to develop models of Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

3 Sep 2014