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Translational Neurodegeneration
Published in: Translational Neurodegeneration 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Review

Environmental insults: critical triggers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Authors: Bing Yu, Roger Pamphlett

Published in: Translational Neurodegeneration | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised by a rapid loss of lower and upper motor neurons. As a complex disease, the ageing process and complicated gene-environment interactions are involved in the majority of cases.

Main body

Significant advances have been made in unravelling the genetic susceptibility to ALS with massively parallel sequencing technologies, while environmental insults remain a suspected but largely unexplored source of risk. Several studies applying the strategy of Mendelian randomisation have strengthened the link between environmental insults and ALS, but none so far has proved conclusive. We propose a new ALS model which links the current knowledge of genetic factors, ageing and environmental insults. This model provides a mechanism as to how ALS is initiated, with environmental insults playing a critical role.

Conclusion

The available evidence has suggested that inherited defect(s) could cause mitochondrial dysfunction, which would establish the primary susceptibility to ALS. Further study of the underlying mechanism may shed light on ALS pathogenesis. Environmental insults are a critical trigger for ALS, particularly in the aged individuals with other toxicant susceptible genes. The identification of ALS triggers could lead to preventive strategies for those individuals at risk.
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Metadata
Title
Environmental insults: critical triggers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Authors
Bing Yu
Roger Pamphlett
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Translational Neurodegeneration / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2047-9158
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40035-017-0087-3

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