Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 1

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease of the nerves and muscles. This disease specifically affects the motor neurons, which are nerves that go from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles in the body. These motor neurons are responsible for controlling voluntary movement, which is movement that you normally initiate. The motor neurons eventually degrade and die and stop sending/receiving messages to the muscle. The affected muscles gradually weakens and wastes away (atrophy) because they cannot function without nerve signals. People with ALS eventually lose the ability to eat, talk, move and even breathe. This condition is progressive, meaning that it will continue to get worse over time.