Muscle twitches in the arm, leg, shoulder, or tongue.Eventually, the brain loses its ability to initiate and control voluntary movements. As motor neurons degenerate and die, they stop sending messages to the muscles, which causes the muscles to weaken, start to twitch (fasciculations), and waste away (atrophy). ALS has no cure and there is no effective treatment to reverse its progression.ĪLS is a type of motor neuron disease. The disease is progressive, meaning the symptoms get worse over time. Voluntary muscles are those we choose to move to produce movements like chewing, walking, and talking. What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)?Īmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, is a rare neurological disease that affects motor neurons-those nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement.
