Is Fixing Motor Neurons the Only Path to Treating ALS?
Some studies suggest that motor neurons, even when healthy, can be killed by toxic neighbors. If so, converting these “sharks” to “dolphins” might slow the pace of ALS. Since the earliest descriptions of ALS, it’s been noted that progressive muscle atrophy (shrinkage) and weakness are hallmarks of the disease. For decades the assumption has been that the muscle degeneration results from the loss of muscle-stimulating nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, known as motor neurons. But that assumption has been questioned in recent years, with several scientists finding that other types of cells, such as nervous-system support cells called glia, and even muscle itself, may make significant contributions to the disease. If these other cells do contribute to the disease process, that would be good news, because glia and muscle cells may be easier treatment targets than motor neurons. Microglia add fuel to fire In 2006, Don Cleveland and colleagues at the University of California-San Diego
