{"id":2007,"date":"2026-04-29T15:30:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:30:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/?p=2007"},"modified":"2026-04-29T15:30:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:30:15","slug":"the-science-behind-a-devastating-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/?p=2007","title":{"rendered":"The Science Behind a Devastating Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you love Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em>, you might recognize actor Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan. Recently, I came across an article mentioning him and saw the acronym \u201cALS.\u201d Even though I have never watched the show, the acronym immediately caught my attention. At the beginning of 2026, I had started learning about this disease, but schoolwork quickly pushed that curiosity aside. Seeing the unfortunate news of Dane\u2019s passing made me want to finally understand the illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what exactly is ALS? Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. These motor neurons are nerve cells that control voluntary muscle movement. Upper motor neurons transmit signals from the cerebral cortex or brainstem to the spinal cord, while lower motor neurons extend to the muscles, enabling movement. Put simply, the connection between the brain and muscles becomes lost, which disrupts normal movement and coordination. In ALS, the nervous system progressively degenerates, causing a decrease in the patient\u2019s abilities. Specifically, the degeneration of upper motor neurons can sometimes lead to spasticity and modest weakness, but the degeneration of lower motor neurons can cause more disabling weakness. As motor neurons stop working, the muscles begin to atrophy, or waste away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of this damage, early symptoms also often include muscle twitching, cramping, stiffness, and weakness in hands, arms or legs. As the disease progresses, it can affect voluntary muscle control, like walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing. However, symptoms can vary widely from patient to patient. This wide range of symptoms is one reason why ALS is diagnosed through the process of ruling out other conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doctors can use MRI, blood tests, and urine tests to diagnose the disease. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies also help with the detection of ALS. Electromyography, also known as EMG, measures electrical activity in muscles, identifying active and chronic damage (called denervation) which points to a nerve disorder. The EMG is crucial because it can detect the dying of lower motor neurons before it\u2019s clinically visible. Nerve conduction studies, also known as NCS, is a test that sends electric shocks through nerves to decide if symptoms are caused by nerve damage or other diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once diagnosis is made, patients and families have to face a difficult reality: ALS is typically fatal due to respiratory failure, with most people only living 3 to 5 years after diagnosis, but some may live longer.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given its severe impact, researchers are working to understand what leads to ALS. ALS is linked to genetic and environmental factors. Around 90-95% of ALS cases are sporadic, meaning they occur without family history. The remaining 5-10% of cases are familial and are inherited genetically. Men are slightly more likely to develop ALS than women. In fact, the risk ratio is around 1.3 to 1.56 times higher. In addition to genetics and sex, researchers have recognized several environmental and lifestyle factors that could increase ALS risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Different factors include smoking, exposure to metals like lead and mercury, pesticides, and electromagnetic fields, and possibly intense physical activity. Military veterans, especially those who served during the Gulf War, have shown higher rates of ALS, perhaps due to these environmental factors. Some studies also suggest links to traumatic brain injuries and electrical work, though the findings are mixed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While scientists continue to study these risks, patients still face the current reality of treatment. Unfortunately, ALS has no cure, but FDA-approved drugs like Riluzole and Edaravone can slow disease progression for some patients. Specialized care from neurologists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and respiratory specialists helps manage symptoms and improve quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the medical facts, many people first hear about ALS through well-known cases. If you want to learn more about this disease, cases such as Stephen Hawking and Lou Gehrig are good places to start. I hope this article reveals the difficult reality of this life-altering condition and encourages you to learn more about the science behind it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Works Cited<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. \u201c2-Minute Neuroscience: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).\u201d YouTube<\/em>, YouTube, www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kOnk9Hh20eg. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. \u201cALS.\u201d Wikipedia<\/em>, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Mar. 2026, en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ALS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. \u201cAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).\u201d Mayo Clinic<\/em>, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 17 Mar. 2026, www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20354022.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Rizea, Radu Eugen, et al. \u201cUnderstanding Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Therapeutic Advances.\u201d International Journal of Molecular Sciences<\/em>, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 15 Sept. 2024, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC11432652\/.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you love Grey\u2019s Anatomy, you might recognize actor Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan. Recently, I came across an article mentioning…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":2008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-nature"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2009,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2007\/revisions\/2009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blueandread.asbarcelona.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}