Newswise — BOSTON – New research provides a better understanding of the mechanisms behind the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and points to a potential treatment strategy. The work was led by investigators at the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and is published in Molecular Neurobiology.
ALS, a degenerative condition without a cure, attacks brain and spinal cord nerve cells to progressively affect individuals’ ability to move, speak, eat, and even breathe. Previous studies have implicated dysfunction within mitochondria, which generate energy within cells, as playing an important role in the development of ALS. Also, studies in Alzheimer’s disease have linked changes in mitochondrial function to interactions between an abnormal form of tau, which accumulates in the brains of patients with…
