Types of Motor Neuron Diseases

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nimish Thakore ◽  
Erik P Pioro
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Motor Neuron Diseases ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Upper Motor Neurons ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Disorders of lower motor neurons (LMNs, or anterior horn cells) and upper motor neurons (UMNs), jointly termed motor neuron disorders (MNDs), are diverse and numerous. The prototypical MND, namely amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a relentlessly progressive lethal disorder of adults, is the subject of another section and will not be discussed further here. Other MNDs include spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), of which there are four types: Kennedy’s disease, Brown-Violetto-Van Laere, and Fazio-Londe syndromes, lower motor neuron disorders as part of neurodegenerations and secondary motor neuron disease as part of malignancy, radiation and infection.

Motor neuron disease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin R. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Corticospinal Tract ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Muscle Denervation ◽  
Genetic Overlap ◽  
Upper Motor Neurons ◽  
Primary Lateral ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Motor neuron disease (MND) is characterized by progressive muscular weakness due to simultaneous degeneration of lower and upper motor neurons (L/UMNs). Involvement of LMNs, arising from the anterior horns of the spinal cord and brainstem, leads to secondary wasting as a result of muscle denervation. Involvement of the UMNs of the motor cortex and corticospinal tract results in spasticity. In ~85% of cases, there is clear clinical involvement of both, and the condition is termed ‘amyotrophic lateral sclerosis’ (ALS; a term often used synonymously with MND). In ~13% of cases, there may be only LMN signs apparent, in which case the condition is termed ‘progressive muscular atrophy’, although such cases have a natural history that is to largely identical to that of ALS. In a very small group of patients (~2%), there are only UMN signs for at least the first 4 years, in which case the condition is termed ‘primary lateral sclerosis’; such cases have a uniformly slower progression. There is clinical, neuropathological, and genetic overlap between MND and some forms of frontotemporal dementia.

scholarly journals Hereditary Canine Spinal Muscular Atrophy: An Animal Model of Motor Neuron Disease

1991 ◽  
Vol 18 (S3) ◽  
pp. 432-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda C. Cork
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Autosomal Dominant ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Canine Model ◽  
Therapeutic Interventions ◽  
Motor Neuron Diseases ◽  
Human Motor

ABSTRACT:Motor neuron diseases selectively produce degeneration and death of motor neurons; the pathogenesis of these disorders and the specificity for this population of neurons are unknown. Hereditary Canine Spinal Muscular Atrophy produces a lower motor neuron disease which is clinically and pathologically similar to human motor neuron disease: motor neurons dysfunction and degenerate. The canine model provides an opportunity to investigate early stages of disease when there are viable motor neurons still present and might be responsive to a variety of therapeutic interventions. The canine disease, like the human disease, is inherited as an autosomal dominant. The extensive canine pedigree of more than 200 characterized individuals permits genetic analysis using syntenic linkage techniques which may identify a marker for the canine trait and provide insights into homologous regions for study in human kindreds.

scholarly journals Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: one or multiple causes?

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Furtado Bastos ◽  
Marco Orsini ◽  
Dionis Machado ◽  
Mariana Pimentel Mello ◽  
Sergio Nader ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Vigorous Physical Activity ◽  
Disease Etiology ◽  
New Research ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

The Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common form of motor neuron disease in the adulthood, and it is characterized by rapid and progressive compromise of the upper and lower motor neurons. The majority of the cases of ALS are classified as sporadic and, until now, a specific cause for these cases still is unknown. To present the different hypotheses on the etiology of ALS. It was carried out a search in the databases: Bireme, Scielo and Pubmed, in the period of 1987 to 2011, using the following keywords: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, motor neuron disease, etiology, causes and epidemiology and its similar in Portuguese and Spanish. It did not have consensus as regards the etiology of ALS. Researches demonstrates evidences as regards intoxication by heavy metals, environmental and occupational causes, genetic mutations (superoxide dismutase 1), certain viral infections and the accomplishment of vigorous physical activity for the development of the disease. There is still no consensus regarding the involved factors in the etiology of ALS. In this way, new research about these etiologies are necessary, for a better approach of the patients, promoting preventive programs for the disease and improving the quality of life of the patients.

scholarly journals Far beyond the motor neuron: the role of glial cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2016 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 849-854
Author(s):  
Paulo Victor Sgobbi de Souza ◽  
Wladimir Bocca Vieira de Rezende Pinto ◽  
Flávio Moura Rezende Filho ◽  
Acary Souza Bulle Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Glial Cell ◽  
Glial Cells ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Cell Interaction ◽  
Cell Functions ◽  
Glial Cell Interactions ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

ABSTRACT Motor neuron disease is one of the major groups of neurodegenerative diseases, mainly represented by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Despite wide genetic and biochemical data regarding its pathophysiological mechanisms, motor neuron disease develops under a complex network of mechanisms not restricted to the unique functions of the alpha motor neurons but which actually involve diverse functions of glial cell interaction. This review aims to expose some of the leading roles of glial cells in the physiological mechanisms of neuron-glial cell interactions and the mechanisms related to motor neuron survival linked to glial cell functions.

scholarly journals A Systematic Review of Genotype–Phenotype Correlation across Cohorts Having Causal Mutations of Different Genes in ALS

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owen Connolly ◽  
Laura Le Gall ◽  
Gavin McCluskey ◽  
Colette G Donaghy ◽  
William J Duddy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Respiratory Failure ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Disease Duration ◽  
Phenotype Correlation ◽  
Motor Neuron Diseases ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised by progressive deterioration of upper and lower motor neurons that eventually culminates in severe muscle atrophy, respiratory failure and death. There is a concerning lack of understanding regarding the mechanisms that lead to the onset of ALS and as a result there are no reliable biomarkers that aid in the early detection of the disease nor is there an effective treatment. This review first considers the clinical phenotypes associated with ALS, and discusses the broad categorisation of ALS and ALS-mimic diseases into upper and lower motor neuron diseases, before focusing on the genetic aetiology of ALS and considering the potential relationship of mutations of different genes to variations in phenotype. For this purpose, a systematic review is conducted collating data from 107 original published clinical studies on monogenic forms of the disease, surveying the age and site of onset, disease duration and motor neuron involvement. The collected data highlight the complexity of the disease’s genotype–phenotype relationship, and thus the need for a nuanced approach to the development of clinical assays and therapeutics.

Motor Neuron Disease (DRAFT)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Kaplan ◽  
Tracey Milligan
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Motor Neuron ◽  
Motor Neuron Disease ◽  
Muscular Atrophy ◽  
Lower Motor Neuron ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

The video in this chapter explores motor neuron disease, including amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It discusses the signs of upper motor neuron (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) pathology, as well as Kennedy disease.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document