The Hard Facts of ALs

 Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. A-myo-trophic comes from the Greek language. “A” means no, “Myo” means muscle, and “Trophic” means nourishment – “No muscle nourishment.” 

The disease causes breakdown of nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. When a muscle loses nourishment, it “atrophies” or wastes away.

 “Lateral” identifies the area of a person’s spinal cord where portions of the nerve cells are located. As the area degenerates, it leads to scarring or hardening (“sclerosis”).