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ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)
What is ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis)?
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a degenerative neurologic disorder that affects more than 25,000 people in the U.S.1 With limited treatment options, the average person survives less than five years after diagnosis.
A progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease, ALS causes the muscles to weaken over time, impacting the ability to speak, eat, move, and breathe. There are a few treatment options available today and the disease can progress rapidly – the mean survival time is only 2-5 years after diagnosis.2
How does cortisol activity affect this disease?
Many people with ALS experience dysregulation of cortisol activity, including elevated cortisol levels – particularly those with rapid disease progression.
What role might cortisol modulation play?
Our research seeks to determine whether modulating cortisol activity can beneficially affect neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in people with ALS. Modulating cortisol activity in the body may benefit patients with ALS by reducing the neurotoxic effects of cortisol activity and slowing functional loss.
1Mehta Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener 2023.
2ALS Association: Understanding ALS