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M. J. Friedrich

JAMA. 2005;293:1048-1049.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Although numerous agents have been tested for their efficacy against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), only one to date—riluzole—has been shown to slow this progressive neurodegenerative disorder. But while modestly effective, riluzole cannot ultimately stem the relentless loss of motor neurons that occurs in patients with ALS.

Nevertheless, clinical trials are yielding lessons that are helping researchers design more effective strategies against ALS. Such data, as well as novel insights into the processes that give rise to the disease, are pointing to new treatments involving methods such as gene therapy and RNA silencing, as discussed at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

A wild-type motor neuron (yellow arrowhead) that does not make a mutant form of an enzyme linked with amyotophic lateral sclerosis but which is in contact with adjacent cells that do make the aberrant enzyme shows damage (indicated by blue stain), even less . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Experimental Tool