Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease in the central nervous system that impacts the brain and spinal cord, resulting in a loss of muscle control.
It is colloquially referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, after the famous baseball player who battled it in the late 1930s, and does not yet have a cure. To better understand the language of ALS, the ALS Glossary below provides definitions for research terms commonly used by our Innovation Ecosystem and the extended ALS community.
limb onset ALS
When the initial ALS symptoms manifest as weakness in the limbs. Also called spinal onset ALS, it is the most common way ALS presents in a person.
lower motor neuron (LMN) disorders
A group of disorders that originate in the spinal cord, resulting in muscle atrophy and weakness.
lower motor neurons
Nerve cells that travel to the body's muscles, beginning in the spinal cord.
