an ALS Hypothesis

[Austin P. So (Hae-Jin)]

Familial ALS has been linked to SOD mutations....but that accounts for < 5% of
all ALS cases, so in fact the field is still very wide open.

So...mitochondrial dysfunction is a good candidate, as is an autoimmune response
(Llinas touted this for a while before the FALS/SOD link was found...antibodies
against the P-type channel). People have speculated on a glutamate excitotoxic
source....but again nothing concrete.


"John H." wrote:

> I thought it may have been a SOD problem, but haven't managed to have a
> close look at it yet. Isn't there a familial tendency here also?
>
> Would someone more knowledgeable than the current authors in this thread
> care to enlighten? I know something about apoptosis etc but ALS .... .

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Austin P. So (Hae Jin)

I.I.S.G.P.
Biotechnology Laboratory
University of British Columbia

E-mail: haejin at netinfo.ubc.ca

http://www.interchange.ubc.ca/haejin/index.html (under construction)