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First diagnostic indicator for Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) identified
February 23, 2006Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have identified three proteins that may be first tools for confirming diagnosis of ALS
Claire Collier went to see her doctor shortly after she started experiencing cramping and other symptoms. This started a series of referrals and seemingly endless stream of tests. Finally, nine months later after test after test had come back negative, she received the diagnosis of ALS. Only then could she begin to receive the treatment needed to treat her symptoms.
There was not then and is not now a simple test that can tell a patient whether or not they have ALS. But a study published in this month's issue of Neurology may change that.
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine identified three proteins that are found in significantly lower concentration in the cerebral spinal fluid of patients with ALS than in healthy individuals. These are the first biomarkers for this disease.
"ALS is a very difficult disease to diagnose. To date, there is no one test or procedure to ultimately establish the diagnosis of ALS. It is through a clinical examination and series of diagnostic tests, often ruling out other diseases," website of the ALS Association.
Giulio Pasinetti, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and colleagues compared cerebral spinal fluid from patients diagnosed with ALS, patients with other neurological disorders, and healthy individuals. They found that fluid from patients with ALS had significantly lower concentrations of three proteins than either of the other groups. Evaluating the levels of these three proteins proved 95% accurate for diagnosing ALS.
The researchers found that the changes in concentration of these proteins were evident within 1.5 years of onset of symptoms. With current methods, the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis is two years. Testing for these protein concentrations may provide a means of early diagnosis, allowing patients to receive relief from symptoms years earlier.
"For the first time we have the possibility of developing a test that can definitively say whether or not a patient has ALS," said Dr. Pasinetti. "Such a test would eliminate the need for patients to undergo months of diagnostic evaluation and remove the uncertainty that currently lingers with physicians and patients even after a diagnosis is made."
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine identified three proteins that are found in significantly lower concentration in the cerebral spinal fluid of patients with ALS than in healthy individuals. These are the first biomarkers for this disease.
"ALS is a very difficult disease to diagnose. To date, there is no one test or procedure to ultimately establish the diagnosis of ALS. It is through a clinical examination and series of diagnostic tests, often ruling out other diseases," website of the ALS Association.
Giulio Pasinetti, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Neuroscience, and Geriatrics and Adult Development, Mount Sinai School of Medicine and colleagues compared cerebral spinal fluid from patients diagnosed with ALS, patients with other neurological disorders, and healthy individuals. They found that fluid from patients with ALS had significantly lower concentrations of three proteins than either of the other groups. Evaluating the levels of these three proteins proved 95% accurate for diagnosing ALS.
The researchers found that the changes in concentration of these proteins were evident within 1.5 years of onset of symptoms. With current methods, the average time from onset of symptoms to diagnosis is two years. Testing for these protein concentrations may provide a means of early diagnosis, allowing patients to receive relief from symptoms years earlier.
"For the first time we have the possibility of developing a test that can definitively say whether or not a patient has ALS," said Dr. Pasinetti. "Such a test would eliminate the need for patients to undergo months of diagnostic evaluation and remove the uncertainty that currently lingers with physicians and patients even after a diagnosis is made."
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
ALS Current Events and ALS News RSSNew understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy
Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage.
Schizophrenia gene's role may be broader, more potent, than thought
UCSF scientists studying nerve cells in fruit flies have uncovered a new function for a gene whose human equivalent may play a critical role in schizophrenia.
Compound shows potential for slowing progression of ALS
A chemical cousin of a drug currently used to treat sepsis dramatically slows the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, in mice.
Dysfunctional protein dynamics behind neurological disease?
Researchers at Lund University, Sweden, have taken a snapshot of proteins changing shape, sticking together and creating structures that are believed to trigger deadly processes in the nervous system.
New guidelines identify best treatments to help ALS patients live longer, easier
New guidelines from the American Academy of Neurology identify the most effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), often called Lou Gehrig's disease. The guidelines are published in the October 13, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
LSUHSC's England plays key role in developing new ALS treatment guidelines
Dr. John England, Professor and Chairman of Neurology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, analyzed research findings and was responsible for the quality and accuracy of evidence analysis and the conclusions of the studies resulting in new guidelines for treating Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Scientists encouraged by new mouse model's similarities to human ALS
A new mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) closely resembles humans with the paralyzing disorder, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may involve a form of sudden, rapid aging of the immune system
Premature aging of the immune system appears to play a role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to research scientists from the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and Sheba Medical Center in Israel.
Michigan Tech Mathematicians Identify Genes Linked to Lou Gehrig's Disease
Michigan Technological University researchers have linked three genes to the most common type of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), generally known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Jet-propelled Imaging for an Ultrafast Light Source
John Spence, a physicist at Arizona State University, is a longtime user of the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where he has contributed to major advances in lensless imaging.
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