Mutations in the gene encoding superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) cause up to 20 per cent of inherited ALS cases (familial ALS). They’ve even been observed in a small fraction of sporadic cases. It has bee ◊

Whether exercise predisposes to or protects against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a topic of ongoing debate. ◊

A stage 3 trial has begun studying the efficacy of ceftriaxone, to see if it prolongs survival and/or slows decline in function in patients living with ALS. ◊

The formation of synapses – the junctions through which neurotransmitters relay chemical signals allowing neurons to communicate information – typically requires contact between presynaptic and postsy ◊

Talampanel, a drug currently not approved in Canada or the United States, is undergoing an international Phase 3 trial involving 500 patients with ALS in centres across Europe, Canada and the US. In a ◊

The recent discovery of a number of genes known to cause motor neuron diseases such as ALS has provided new insights into the mechanisms underlying motor neuron degeneration, according to a recent art ◊

Clinical trials in ALS often use patient survival as an outcome measure to examine whether a treatment prolongs life. But variables affecting survival rates – such as emergency tracheostomy – are dif ◊

At the 20th Internal Symposium on ALS/MND, researchers presented the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial testing the safety and tolerability of a drug called KNS-760704 for use by ALS patients. KNS-7 ◊

University of Texas researchers identified a molecule that reduces symptoms and prolongs life in mice with a type of ALS, according to a study in the Dec. 11, 2009, issue of Science. Lead author Eric ◊

Abnormal folding of superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) – a protein known to gain harmful properties from heritable gene mutations in familial ALS – does not appear to cause cases of familial ALS without SO ◊