Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or "ALS" (sometimes also referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. 

​

Motor Neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their demise, and when the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. When voluntary muscle action is progressively affected, people may lose their ability to speak, eat, move and even breathe. 

​

A wealth of new scientific understanding about the physiology of ALS has occurred in recent years, and studies to develop more treatments and a cure for ALS are ongoing around the world. 

​

Source (click to learn more): What is ALS?