GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -In ALS, motor neurons (nerve cells that control muscle cells) are gradually lost. As these motor neurons are lost, the muscles they control become weak and then nonfunctional, thus leading to muscle weakness, disability, and eventually death. ALS is the most common form of motor neuron disease.

Detailed explanation-2: -Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive disease characterized by motor neuron degeneration and skeletal muscle atrophy [1].

Detailed explanation-3: -ALS is a type of motor neuron disease. As motor neurons degenerate and die, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which causes the muscles to weaken, start to twitch (fasciculations), and waste away (atrophy). Eventually, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements.

Detailed explanation-4: -A common characteristic of ALS and frontotemporal dementia is the build-up of clumps of misfolded RNA-binding proteins, including a protein called FUS, in the brain and spinal cord. This leads to the death of neurons, which stops them from communicating with each other and from reaching the muscles.

Detailed explanation-5: -The researchers confirmed that the cause of the motor neurons’ death was a toxin released into the environment by immersing healthy motor neurons in the astrocytes’ culture media. The presence of the media, even without astrocytes, killed the motor neurons.