Not new...but interesting...
Originally published in Mayo Clinic Health Letter, April
1996
For more than 100 years, scientists have struck out in
seeking a cause and a cure for amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS).
Evidence of similarities between ALS and two other
diseases without a known cure--Alzheimer's and
PARKINSON'S--leads doctors to suspect the three are
linked. All three attack cells in your brain, spinal cord and
central nervous system, especially among older adults.
In both ALS and Parkinson's, cell destruction leads to
slowness of movement, muscle spasms and speech
problems. Also, some people with ALS and some with
Parkinson's also have a form of dementia such as
Alzheimer's.
In addition, discovery of abnormal nerve cell fibers
(neurofilaments) in cases of Alzheimer's and inherited
ALS has led to hopes of learning more about these
diseases through a possible genetic link.
In 1991, researchers discovered that a gene--SOD1--is
involved in inherited ALS. It's linked to chromosome 21,
part of the cell structure that determines your hereditary
characteristics.
Researchers later found that a defect in this gene causes
some cases of inherited ALS. Normally, the gene blocks
damage to cells by free radicals (toxic molecules). But
the defective gene fails to do that. By focusing future
research, this discovery may speed understanding of
both the inherited and noninherited forms of ALS.
--
Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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