1. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2. ALS: What is It? Neurodegenerative Affects CNS Affects Motor Pathways
Types: Sporadic and Familial
Onset: years of age
Prognosis: 80% will die within 3-5 years of onset

3. Symptoms
Muscle fatigue and weakness in limbs, hands, and muscles of speaking and breathing
Manifestations in tripping, slurred speech, quiet voice projection, difficulty in everyday motor tasks using fine detail or expending muscle energy
Later in the Disease progression: partial or full paralysis, inability to speak or breath

4. Biology: Cell Level Mitochondria: influx of SOD1 triggering apoptosis
Glutamate: secretion of too much glutamate leads to toxic over-excitation of postsynaptic neuron
Genetics- in as many a 15% of cases scientists have found a specific gene mutation causing RNA to make proteins clump
Inflammation: damaged cells attract TNF alpha messengers from the immune system
Axons: protein malfunction in axons affect structure and shuttling of molecules up and down its length

5. Biology
IGF and GH: imbalance of growth hormones found in ALS patients.
Apoptosis: cell suicide and cell death much higher in ALS patients due to damages cells
Grey Matter: reduced volume of grey matter especially in front and temporal lobes and precentral gyrus

6. Treatment
Riluzole: glutamate moderation presynaptically and postsynaptically

7. Future Treatments Gene therapy: targets SOD1
RNA therapy: matched RNA to prevent production of bad protein
Current Drugs: insulin therapy and antibiotic therapy for glutamate
Stem cell therapy: replace damaged cells