4, 5 And while patients share common molecular hallmarks, the wide heterogeneity among ALS subtypes suggests that it may not be a single disease, but rather a common outcome of multiple neurodegenerative processes. The average life expectancy following symptom onset is ~2-5 years.

This loss manifests as muscle paralysis and atrophy that can ultimately reduce a patient’s ability to breathe. 3 All ALS patients share the same progressive dysfunction and death of motor neurons in either the primary motor cortex, the spinal cord, or both. What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?ĪLS is the most common motor neuron disease and is estimated to affect more than 80,000 people worldwide. We will also highlight the need for more robust, scalable, and consistent cell models of FTD and ALS. In the sections that follow, we dive in on the latest research describing the underlying causes of ALS and a closely related condition known as frontotemporal dementia (FTD), two forms of neurodegenerative disease that share striking similarities in their molecular pathologies. Gehrig’s declining health prevented him from playing another game, but his fame brought the world’s attention to this enigmatic disease and others like it.

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