ALS- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Lou Gehrig's disease- Yankee B-Ball player 1903-1941
Neurodegenerative disease- Unknown cause breaks tissue down in nervous system.
Motor Neurons- they control muscle movement
Affects nerves from the brain to the spinal cord (upper motor neurons) then the lower spinal cord (lower motor neurons) which control muscle movement. With this disease, for unknown reasons, these neurons die, meaning a progressive loss of the ability to move nearly any of the muscles in the body.
Lou Gehrig's disease affects voluntary muscles, controlled by conscious thought, such as the arm, leg, and trunk muscles.
ALS DOES NOT affect the heart muscle, or the "smooth" muscle of the digestive system, bladder, and other internal organs. Most keep eye movement as well.
"Amyotrophic"- means the loss of muscle bulk.
"Lateral" indicates the spinal cord being affected.
"Sclerosis" describes hardened tissue that develops in the place of healthy nerves.
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