Science, medicine, and the future: Motor neurone disease

Abstract

Motor neurone disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases of adult onset. Currently, there is no treatment that substantially slows disease progression, and average survival from the start of symptoms is only about three years. As this article dis cusses, however, new understanding of disease pathogenesis is suggesting the way toward more effec tive neuroprotective treatments aimed at slowing or arresting injury to motor neurones.