Understanding ALS

Wednesday, June 18, 2003 | 9:10 a.m.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- known more commonly as "Lou Gehrig's disease"-- in a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

Motor neurons, which reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to muscles throughout the body, begin to degenerate. When motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With all voluntary muscle action affected, patients in the latter stages of ALS become paralyzed. Yet through it all, for the vast majority, their minds remain whole.

The disease was first identified in 1869 by noted French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot.

Gehrig brought international attention to the disease when he was diagnosed in 1939, but it also has cut short the lives of thousands of people including Hall of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter, actor David Niven, Sen. Jacob Javits and former heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles.

Source: ALS Association

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