{i} (Medicine) ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, incurable progressive disease of the motor nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that causes their degeneration and muscle degeneration
thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord; results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs
or Lou Gehrig disease Degenerative nervous-system disorder causing muscle wasting and paralysis. The disease usually occurs after age 40, more often in men. Most victims die within two to five years from respiratory muscle atrophy. ALS affects motor neurons; the muscles they control become weak and atrophied, with debility usually beginning in the hands and creeping slowly up to the shoulders. The lower limbs become weak and spastic. Variants include progressive muscular atrophy and progressive bulbar palsy. In 1993 the defective gene that accounts for 5-10% of cases was discovered; it produces an ineffective version of an enzyme that neutralizes free radicals, which destroy motor neurons
ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease in the United States and Motor Neuron Disease and Charcot's disease in Europe) is a progressive disease that affects nerve cells found in the brain and spinal cord
a terminal neurological disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of motor cells in the spinal cord and brain It is often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease "