Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often referred to as Lou Gehrigs Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. A means no or negative. Myo refers to muscle, and Trophic means nourishment–No muscle nourishment. When a muscle has no nourishment, it atrophies or wastes away. Lateral identifies the areas in a persons spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells that signal and control the muscles are located. As this area degenerates it leads to scarring or hardening (sclerosis) in the region. #ALSsucks
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 10:21:14 +0000
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