Early Treatment of ALS with Nutrition and NIPPV--Administrative Supplment

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is an age-associated human neurodegenerative disorder with prevalence in the US population of 5-8/1 00,000. With the exception of familial ALS linked to mutations in SOD-! (CuZn Superoxide dismutase), the cause(s) of ALS remain unknown. Contemporary hypotheses consider that genetic susceptibility and additional environmental exposures together initiate the pathophysiological cascade that eventuates in motor neuron degeneration. The basic hypothesis guiding this research is that there exists an identifiable set of genetic mutations or polymorphisms, which when coupled to environmental exposures, will lead to the development of ALS. The results of this study will provide a collection of DNA from a population of well-characterized patients with ALS and will form an important national resource for further studies of the etiology of sporadic ALS. Future approaches may include efforts to identify the presence of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) or mutations in genes thought to be important in motor neuron death and to identify susceptibility genes of relevance that might be implicated in the process of neurodegeneration.