At a glance
Describes the current state of ALS research
Affiliates
Pam Factor-Litvak 1, Ammar Al-Chalabi 2, Alberto Ascherio 3, Walter Bradley 4, Adriano Chio 5, Ralph Garruto 6, Orla Hardiman 7, Freya Kamel 8, Edward Kasarskis 9, Ann McKee 10, Imaharu Nakano 11, Lorene M. Nelson 12, Andrew Eisen 13
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry
- Department of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston
- Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Torino, and AOU San Giovanni Battista
- Departments of Anthropology and Biological Sciences, Binghamton University, State University of New York
- Department of Neurology, Trinity College
- Chronic Disease Epidemiology Group, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park
- Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky and VA Medical Centers
- Department of Neurology and Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine
- Department of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Jichi Medical University
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University School of Medicine
- Department of Neurology, The University of British Columbia
Summary
This paper reviews findings in ALS research. Descriptions of recent studies and new methods, and a discussion of the pathological similarities between ALS and chronic traumatic encephalomyelopathy (CTE) are discussed. The authors stress the need to address the following concerns: 1) varying definitions for ALS case ascertainment, 2) inconsistences in incidence, prevalence, and lifetime risk of ALS estimates, 3) incidence of ALS within certain subgroups, and 4) the rigor of which ALS etiology is studied.
Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry