Study Helps Unravel the Tangled Origin of ALS

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have pinpointed an error in protein formation that could be the root of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. In a recent study, published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers identified proteins that build neurofilaments inside the motor neurons. Scientists have known for some time that in ALS, “tangles” along the nerve’s projections, formed of misshapen protein, block the passage along the nerve fibers, eventually causing the nerve fiber to malfunction and die. The core of the new discovery is the source of these tangles: a shortage of one of the three proteins in the neurofilament. Beyond ALS, neuroscientist Su-Chun Zhang, senior author of the new report, says “very similar tangles” appear in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases: “We got really excited at the idea that when you study ALS, you may be looking at the root of many neurodegenerative disorders.” To read more about the study, click here.