Lou Gehrigs Disease
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 lead 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.
