One of my Uncles died of ALS. We watched him fade away within five years of diagnosis. There is no cure for the disease. Indeed there is no cure for most of the neurological disorders.
ALS or Lou-Gehrig disease is caused because some genes malfunction. There is no one particular gene that causes ALS but there are many genes that are associated with this disease. Each gene increases the risk.
The disease is not inherited. Usually.
But it is inherited in some families (familial ALS). Especially, if inter-marriages are common. Genetic analysis of such families can lead a researcher to identity the genes associated with a disease.
STAT News has a great article on how a neurologist is tracking down the gene associated with familial ALS.
ALS or Lou-Gehrig disease is caused because some genes malfunction. There is no one particular gene that causes ALS but there are many genes that are associated with this disease. Each gene increases the risk.
The disease is not inherited. Usually.
But it is inherited in some families (familial ALS). Especially, if inter-marriages are common. Genetic analysis of such families can lead a researcher to identity the genes associated with a disease.
STAT News has a great article on how a neurologist is tracking down the gene associated with familial ALS.
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