What are Motor Neuron Diseases (MNDs)?

About Motor Neuron Disease (MND):

• It is a rare condition that progressively damages parts of the nervous system.
  • This leads to muscle weakness, often with visible wasting.
• MND is also called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Lou Gehrig's disease.
• Cause:
  • MND happens when specialist nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, called motor neurones, stop working properly and die prematurely. This is known as neurodegeneration.
  • Motor neurons instruct the muscles to move by passing on signals from the brain. They play a role in both conscious and automatic movements, such as swallowing and breathing.
  • As MND progresses, it can become more difficult to do some or all of these activities.
• Generally, MND is believed to be caused by a combination of environmental, lifestyle, and genetic factors.
• 20% of cases are linked to genetic causes. Half of genetic cases will be in people who have a family history of MND. 
• It mainly affectspeople in their 60s and 70s, but it can affect adults of all ages.
• Symptoms:
  • The symptoms of MND start gradually over weeks and months.
  • They tend to appear on one side of the body first and get progressively worse.
  • MND often begins with weakness of the muscles in the hands, feet, or voice, although it can start in different areas of the body and progress in different patterns and at different rates.
  • People with MND become increasingly disabled.
• Average life expectancy after diagnosis is one to five years, with 10 percent of people with MND living 10 years or more.
• Treatment: There's no cure for MND, but treatment can help reduce the impact the symptoms have on your life.

Q1: What is a Neuron?

Neurons (also called neurones or nerve cells) are the fundamental units of the brain and nervous system, the cells responsible for receiving sensory input from the external world, for sending motor commands to our muscles, and for transforming and relaying the electrical signals at every step in between.

Source: DNA molecules with 'invisibility cloak' sequences can selectively target diseased cells in motor neuron disease