What is motor neurone disease?
Q: What is motor neurone disease?
A: Motor neurone disease is a chronic, progressive, and fatal neurological disease that causes the death of nerve cells in the central nervous system, resulting in increasing disability and eventually death.
Q: What do the nerve cells affected by motor neurone disease do?
A: The nerve cells affected by motor neurone disease control voluntary muscle movement, such as speaking, walking, swallowing, and moving the body.
Q: Is there a cure for motor neurone disease?
A: No, there is no known cure for motor neurone disease.
Q: What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?
A: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common type of motor neurone disease that causes muscle weakness and muscle shrinking throughout the body, leading to muscle atrophy.
Q: What causes the muscle atrophy in ALS?
A: Both the upper motor neurons and the lower motor neurons died, making them stop sending messages to the muscles, resulting in muscle atrophy.
Q: Can motor neurone disease be inherited?
A: Yes, about 5 to 10% of cases of motor neuron disease are directly inherited from a person's parents.
Q: Does motor neurone disease affect a person's intelligence, memory, and personality?
A: Even patients in later stages of motor neurone disease may still have the same intelligence, memory, and personality they had before the disease started.
