Genetics of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) was first described by Charcot in 1869 as what we would now call a sporadic disease-a disease believed to occur without a strong genetic influence. Only within the past 10 years has it been possible to fully explore genetic influence on disorders that seem to occur sporadically but likely result from the convergence of multiple genetic and environmental facto...

Genetics of Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Genetics of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis par

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common of motor neuron diseases, affecting 4-6 individuals per 100,000 individuals worldwide. ALS is characterized by muscle weakness and atrophy caused by the degeneration of neurons located in the motor cortex, brain stem and spinal cord. This fatal disease generally has an adult onset and progresses over a three to five year period. While 10% o...

Genetics of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adultonset, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder, caused by the selective loss of upper and lower motor neurons in the cerebral cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. Neuronal degeneration leads to weakness, muscular atrophy, and spasticity that evolve to paralysis. The typical age at onset is between 50 and 60 years, and the global incidence is 1...

Genetics of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized clinically by rapidly progressive paralysis leading ultimately to death from respiratory failure. There is substantial evidence suggesting that ALS is a heritable disease, and a number of genes have been identified as being causative in familial ALS. In contrast, the genetics of the much commoner sporadic for...