0
Article |

A Search for Clues to the Cause of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

R. Hanisch, RN, MPH; R. L. Dworsky, RN, MPH; B. E. Henderson, MD
Arch Neurol. 1976;33(6):456-457. doi:10.1001/archneur.1976.00500060062015
Text Size: A A A
Published online

To the Editor.—  The cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is unknown. The unusual geographic distribution of this disease with focuses in Guam and the Kii Peninsula of Japan suggests an environmental trigger,1 but no consistent hypothesis has yet been established.Recently, we described2 a motor neuron disease in wild mice (Mus musculus) with clinical and pathologic similarities to ALS; the endogenous type C RNA tumor virus of these wild mice was established as the etiologic agent of this neurologic disease.2,3 We conducted an epidemiologic study to seek evidence of a similar viral etiologic agent for ALS.An ALS registry was established in the Los Angeles area with the help of neurologists and the ALS Foundation who were contacted and asked to report prevalent and all future cases of ALS. From this source, 139 possible cases of ALS were identified. Of these, eight were subsequently excluded as

REFERENCES

Bobowick AR, Brody JA:  Epidemiology of motor-neuron diseases . N Engl J Med 288:1047-1055, 1973;.
Gardner MB, Henderson BE, Officer JE, et al:  A spontaneous lower motor neuron disease apparently caused by indigenous Type C RNA virus in wild mice . J Natl Cancer Inst 51:1243-1254, 1973;.
Officer JE, Tecson N, Estes JD, et al:  Isolation of a neurotropic Type C virus . Science 181:945-947, 1973;.
Reed DM, Brody JA:  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia on Guam, 1945-1972: I. Descriptive epidemiology . Am J Epidemiol 101:287-301, 1975;.
Breland AE, Currier RD:  Multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Mississippi . Neurology 17:1011-1016, 1967;.
Reed DM, Torres JM, Brody JA:  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonismdementia on Guam, 1945-1972: II. Familial and genetic studies . Am J Epidemiol 101:302-310, 1975;.

First Page Preview

First page PDF preview

Figures

Tables

Interactive Graphics

Video

Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature

Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal

Bobowick AR, Brody JA:  Epidemiology of motor-neuron diseases . N Engl J Med 288:1047-1055, 1973;.
Gardner MB, Henderson BE, Officer JE, et al:  A spontaneous lower motor neuron disease apparently caused by indigenous Type C RNA virus in wild mice . J Natl Cancer Inst 51:1243-1254, 1973;.
Officer JE, Tecson N, Estes JD, et al:  Isolation of a neurotropic Type C virus . Science 181:945-947, 1973;.
Reed DM, Brody JA:  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism-dementia on Guam, 1945-1972: I. Descriptive epidemiology . Am J Epidemiol 101:287-301, 1975;.
Breland AE, Currier RD:  Multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in Mississippi . Neurology 17:1011-1016, 1967;.
Reed DM, Torres JM, Brody JA:  Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonismdementia on Guam, 1945-1972: II. Familial and genetic studies . Am J Epidemiol 101:302-310, 1975;.

Correspondence

CME Course for:


You need to register in order to view this quiz.


To understand the clinical management of acute heart failure syndromes.
Accreditation Information The American Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The AMA designates this journal-based CME activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM per course. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Physicians who complete the CME course and score at least 80% correct on the quiz are eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM.
Note: You must get at least of the answers correct to pass this quiz.
Note: You must get at least of the answers correct to pass this quiz.
You have not filled in all the answers to complete this quiz
The following questions were not answered:
Sorry, you have unsuccessfully completed this CME quiz with a score of
The following questions were not answered correctly:
For CME Course: A Proposed Model for Initial Assessment and Management of Acute Heart Failure Syndromes
Indicate what changes(s) you will implement in your practice, if any, based on this CME course.
To view and print your certificate and access a summary of your CME courses go to My CME.
NOTE:
Citing articles are presented as examples only. In non-demo SCM6 implementation, integration with CrossRef’s “Cited By” API will populate this tab (http://www.crossref.org/citedby.html).
Submit a Comment

Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.

Related Content

Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.