By Murray Sherriffs
A research team from Quebec’s Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique has identified a mechanism that may halt the paralysis caused by ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Professor Kessen Patten led the new study and says that the Montreal team chose to focus on the cerebellum, the brain region associated with balance and coordination.
Patten says research found that the disease may begin outside the motor regions of the brain before the first visible symptoms appear, which could lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment.
The research suggests that ALS, like other neurodegenerative diseases—Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis—begins to develop gradually, several years before manifesting openly.
Patten says that identifying the mechanism could lead to better patient screening.
The findings of the study are published in the medical journal Brain.