Via Scoop.it – ALS Lou Gehrig’s Disease
With the discovery of nearly 20 genes linked to ALS, researchers are unraveling this complex disease at increasing speed. But, according to recent research, there is much more than a handful of genetic errors in people with ALS that contributes to the destruction of the motor nerves. The epigenome – the chemical tags that mark which genes are turned on and off in our tissues – is emerging as a new player in neurodegenerative diseases including ALS. Inherently flexible, the epigenome rapidly evolves to help people adapt to a crash diet, stress or simply a change in scene. But in people with ALS, studies suggest, these changes might actually fuel the progression of the disease. Emerging drugs that restore or remove these so-called epigenetic marks may have the potential to treat ALS. But figuring out how to safely reset these chemical switches in motor neurons using these medicines, according to experts, may be tricky.
Via blogs.als.net
ALS Research News 