When Was ALS First Discovered? ALS/MND was first described in 1869 by Jean-Martin Charcot, a trail- blazing French neurologist.
What Causes ALS/MND? The cause of ALS/MND is not yet known. While many theories are being researched, at present neither a cure nor a means of prevention is known. In 1993, scientists announced in a paper published in the British journal “Nature” that they had isolated the gene associated with about 20% of the cases of the inherited form of the disease. While only 10% of ALS/MND patients have this genetic predisposition, there is no evidence of a clinical difference between the familial and the sporadic forms of the illness. A currently favored theory combines genetics and toxicity (poisons): that sporadic ALS/MND occurs in those with a genetic predisposition to motor neuron degeneration, and that the illness is then triggered by environmental insult. In Nov 1996, Dr.
