The neurodegenerative disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), has been the center of YouTube videos and Facebook feeds for the past few months. It has been brought to focus by the Ice Bucket Challenge, which was created by Pete Frates, a victim of ALS. The challenge includes pouring ice water on oneself after being challenged. If you do not complete this challenge within twenty-four hours, the person is supposed to donate money to the ALS Association. Before we get into a brief view of the science behind ALS, here are some of my favorite Ice Bucket Challenge Videos.
Shay Carl Ice Bucket Challenge
Benedict Cumberbatch Ice Bucket Challenge
Before the Ice Bucket Challenge, most people knew ALS as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. I knew it as that and didn’t know much about the disease until the challenge and reading an article about ALS. Those with ALS have massive loss of motor neurons in the central nervous system, which includes the brain steam, spinal cord, and cerebral cortex. Symptoms include muscle weakness, muscle wasting, and muscle spasticity. These usually result in issues with breathing, swallowing, and speaking. Eventually, a person will lose the ability to control their body. Most ALS patients die within three to five years after diagnosis. While the disease can be inherited, it is usually sporadic.
The article that my neurochemistry class read described research focusing on possible causes of ALS. I will highlight three possible causes that were mentioned. The first is glutamate toxicity. This means that glutamate, a neurotransmitter, is exciting the receptor too much. This result is neurons like motor neurons being destroyed. Another possible cause is a mutation of the SOD1 gene. This SOD1 gene allows for the SOD1 protein to be made. Think of SOD1 as a police officer who protects cells from dangerous toxins. When the SOD1 gene is mutated, the protein can’t do its job properly. It starts to collect in the cell and can cause cells to destroy themselves. The last possible cause of ALS that I”ll mention is NMDAR activation. NMDAR are receptors on the cell. For these receptors to work properly, there are certain molecules that change or modulate these receptors that need to be present. Scientists have found that these modulators have been changed in ALS. This means NMDARs can’t work properly and result in possible cell death.
The main point of this article was to show that there are many factors that could play a role in the development of ALS and there’s plenty of research that still needs to be done. This leads me back to the Ice Bucket Challenge. By August, the challenge has raised over 100 million dollars. While this is amazing and shows the power that people have when they come together, the ALS Association’s spending has come into question. Is all this money going towards research? Sadly, no. Last year, they donated 28% of their funds to research. While some of the funds do go towards administrative and overhead costs, they also fund ALS public education and patient care services. I want to highlight that it is possible to donate to research only, and information can be found at their website. I hope that you have abetter understanding of ALS and what the Ice Bucket Challenge is doing.
Sources:
NMDA and ALS article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis
http://www.alsa.org/
I Challenge You to Learn About ALS and the Ice Buket Challenge
