Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with no cure and limited treatment options. One of the earliest signs of ALS is overactive brain signals known as cortical hyperexcitability. This activity appears even before motor neurons begin to degenerate and physical symptoms such as trouble walking or swallowing show up. Now, Thomas Jefferson University researchers have discovered that neurons carrying the most common genetic cause of ALS respond abnormally to cortical hyperexcitability. The findings, published in the American Journal of Physiology-Cell Physiology, offer fresh insight into how the disease takes hold.
This article was originally published on MedicalXpress.com
